WTC Final 2023, Day 5, AUS vs IND: India lose 2nd consecutive WTC Final; Australia win coveted Test mace. Australia beat India by 209 runs in WTC Final.
Brief Score: Australia 469 (Head 163, Smith 121, Siraj 4-108) and 270 for 8 dec (Carey 66, Jadeja 3-58) beat India 296 (Rahane 89, Thakur 51, Cummins 3-83) and 234 (Kohli 49, Lyon 3-41, Boland 3-46) by 209 runs
After all the drama with Gill’s wicket and two very un-test match like shots from Rohit & Pujara, India ended the day with 164-3 with Kohli and Rahane at the crease. A befitting finale was on the cards of the World Test Championship, two best teams of the cycle, batting it out on the fifth day with India needing 280 runs and Australia just 7 wickets away from the mace.
Player of the Match – Travis Head (163 runs off 174 balls)
Talking Points from AUS vs India, WTC Final, Day 5
Rohit Sharma & Indian think tank looked like a clueless team with too many strategical errors in an all-important final. Right from a short-term thinking of bowling first to not picking the No.1 ranked Test bowler in the starting eleven in the finals. The top order once again collapsed for India as it has been the case in every ICC tournament for them. Australia turned the game upside down with a 285-run counter attacking partnership for the fifth wicket after being 76-3 in the first innings and India never recovered from that marathon partnership’s hangover.
Read more: WTC Final 2023, Day 4, Aus vs Ind: Aus set India target of 444; India steady in response at 164-3
Australia bundles India inside first session of Day 5 to win it all!
India started the final day’s first session quite positively with Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane Both looking solid at the crease defending ball from the middle of the bat. For Australia it was just matter of one good delivery and Scott Boland, produced not one but two good deliveries in the same over. The first one, tempted Virat with a willey full away swinging delivery to Kohli on 10th stump, if at all there were any, and Kohli, being Kohli, for the Kazillionth time poked at it attempting a cover drive only to pick a healthy edge towards a flying Steven Smith at second slip who grabbed a beauty.
Read More: WTC Final 2023, Day 3, Aus vs Ind: Rahane, Thakur, Jadeja lead India fightback but Australia ahead
Boland then wrapped Jadeja’s innings inside two balls as he picked a thick edge to the wicket keeper. Boland had two in three and Australia already had one hand on the mace. Rahane played a few jaw dropping straight drives but only to succumb to a very out of rhytm Mitchell Starc trying to flash hard for a cover drive. Once Rahane was dismissed, it was just a matter of time as the tail didn’t wag along and everyone including the umpires looked in a hurry to have a drink on the Sunday evening. The only trophy which was missing in Australia’s trophy Cabinet. A new ICC trophy was introduced in the form of World Test Championship and it took Australia only the second season of it to have their name engraved as Test Champions. Australia’s 9th ICC trophy. The true champions in cricket, in all sense!
Statistical Highlights from AUS vs India, WTC Final
5th time Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed to Mitchell Starc in Test cricket. For the trivia lovers, Rahane has been dismissed at-least once every in series since 2019 by Starc.
9th ICC trophy for Australia after 5 ODI World Cups, 2 Champions Trophy, 1 T20I World Cup.
India lose their 8th consecutive Knock out game in ICC events since in the past 9 years.
Read More: WTC Final 2023, Day 2, Aus vs Ind: India's top-order falters after Aus put mammoth 1st innings total
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