Australia become WTC Chasing 444, India bundled out on 234 runs in ICC tournament finals

LONDON: Two years after Australia missed out on reaching the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, due to being penalised two points for a slow over-rate, the Pat Cummins-led side won the marquee event with a comprehensive 209-run win over India in the 2023 finale at The Oval on Sunday.

With the resounding victory giving them their ninth ICC title, also their first-ever WTC crown, Australia has become the first team in men’s international cricket to win all major trophies. Their victory was set up on Day One of the five-day match by a 285-run partnership between ‘Player of the Match’ Travis Head (163) and Steve Smith (121) after Australia were sent in to bat first by India.

India commenced the fifth day’s play from 164/3 in 40 overs, with hopes brimming of conjuring the highest-ever successful chase in fourth innings of a Test match. That hope increased when Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane looked purposeful in their fourth-wicket partnership of 86 during an improbable chase of 444.

But once Scott Boland took out Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja in the space of three balls of the 47th over, it was effectively the knockout punch that Australia was waiting for. Despite some resistance from Rahane and K.S. Bharat, India were all out for 234 in 63.3 overs in the extended first session, losing their last seven wickets for 70 runs.

Veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon was the pick of the Aussie bowlers with 4-41, followed by Boland (3/46), Mitchell Starc (2-77) and captain Pat Cummins (1-55) and was instrumental in Australia lifting the coveted Mace, which was the only silverware missing from their vast cupboard of trophies, coming ahead of the Ashes.

The defeat means India’s agonising wait to win an ICC title, which has been going on for almost ten years, continues. It is also their second straight loss in the WTC Finals after New Zealand defeated them by eight wickets in the inaugural edition of the one-off title clash at Southampton in 2021.

Brief scores: Australia 469 and 270/8d beat India 296 and 234 all out in 63.3 overs (Virat Kohli 49, Ajinkya Rahane 46; Nathan Lyon 4-41, Scott Boland 3-41) by 209 runs. IANS

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