Australia ended their decade-long wait to win their first Border-Gavaskar Trophy since the 2014-15 series with a decisive victory on Day 3 at the SCG. This triumph not only marked a historic achievement but also secured Australia’s place in their second consecutive World Test Championship final—barring any over-rate deductions—where they will face South Africa for the coveted mace.
The chase was anchored by debutant Beau Webster and Australia’s consistent match-winner, Travis Head, who put together an unbeaten 58-run stand to seal the game. India, hampered by the absence of injured Jasprit Bumrah, fell short with the ball despite a spirited effort from Prasidh Krishna, who claimed three quick wickets late in the morning session to briefly revive Indian hopes. However, those hopes were extinguished as Head and Webster calmly steered Australia to a six-wicket victory.
The day began with Australia’s bowlers dominating proceedings. Scott Boland and Pat Cummins wrapped up India’s innings with surgical precision. Cummins dismissed both Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar with subtle seam movement, while Boland claimed his fifth and sixth wickets of the innings—removing Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah—to loud applause from the SCG crowd. India’s innings ended just 7.5 overs into the morning session, leaving Australia with a target of 162 runs.
Without Bumrah, India’s bowling attack lacked its usual sharpness. Early in the chase, frontline pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna leaked boundaries as Australia got off to a brisk start. Krishna dismissed Sam Konstas with a top-edged shot that was caught by Sundar at mid-off, and the pacers’ uneven bounce kept India in contention.
India struck twice in quick succession to reignite the contest. Marnus Labuschagne fell to a sharp catch at gully by Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Steve Smith followed soon after, undone by extra bounce that sent the ball flying to Jaiswal, who completed another fine catch.
Despite these setbacks, Australia began the second session needing just 91 runs, and India’s lack of a third frontline pacer proved costly. Siraj and Krishna, burdened with long spells, lost their edge. Even so, Siraj managed to dismiss Usman Khawaja to keep Australia on edge. But Webster and Head stood firm, methodically building their partnership. The duo’s composed approach allowed runs and boundaries to flow, and Webster sealed the win with a boundary off Sundar shortly after the drinks break.
Brief Scores:
India: 185 (Rishabh Pant 40; Scott Boland 4-31, Mitchell Starc 3-49) & 157 (Rishabh Pant 61; Scott Boland 6-45, Pat Cummins 3-44)
Australia: 181 (Beau Webster 57; Prasidh Krishna 3-42, Mohammed Siraj 3-51) & 162/4 (Beau Webster 39*, Travis Head 34*; Prasidh Krishna 3-65)
Result: Australia won by 6 wickets.