After 2014/15, Australia were winless in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on their home soil. But the tables turned under bright sunshine at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday, as the hosts beat India to win the fifth Test by six wickets and clinch the series 3-1.
In the morning, resuming from 141/6, India could add only 16 runs to its overnight total before their second innings ended in the first 45 minutes of day three.
With the pitch having enough help and movement for seamers, Scott Boland and Pat Cummins picked two wickets each in an accurate bowling performance to end India’s innings quickly and set themselves up for a chase of 162.
The figures of 6-45 coming in 16.5 overs is also Boland's first five-wicket haul in Tests since his iconic 6/7 on debut against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2021 Ashes, as the seamer got a match haul of ten wickets, with the Sydney crowd in pink cheering for him with full energy.
Australia replied without Jasprit Bumrah to bowl due to a back spasm and completed the chase in 27 overs. Usman Khawaja remained unbeaten on 41, while Beau Webster was not out on 39 and Travis Head was not out on 34.
Despite Prasidh Krishna taking three wickets, it wasn't enough for India, who had a horrid bowling display, as Cummins & Co. finally got the trophy win they so desperately sought for a long time and also after losing to India by 295 runs in the opening game in Perth.
The win also meant that Australia, the winners of the 2023 World Test Championship, would be going to the all-important final, where they would face South Africa at Lord's in June.
For India, who lost control of the trophy after ten years, there is a lot of thinking to do in all aspects of the game as well as in leadership duties and tactical planning.
In the morning, Ravindra Jadeja appeared to have gotten his attacking mojo by cutting a short and wide ball from Cummins for four, taking India's lead past 150. But two balls later, Cummins got a fuller ball to angle in, then seam away and take the thin outside edge of Jadeja's bat to Alex Carey and fall for 13 off 45 balls.
He next over, Cummins got one to angle in from wide of the crease and seam in to castle Washington Sundar him through the gate for 12 off 43 balls. Boland got his six-fer by having Siraj edge to first slip and rattling Bumrah's leg-stump, to end India's innings a ball before 40 overs.
The Indians did not make a great beginning to defend 162 as Prasidh and Mohammed Siraj were all over the place with their lines and lengths to let go 35 runs in the first three overs, apart from Sam Konstas hitting three quick boundaries with eight wides and four leg-byes.
But Prasidh eventually got his lengths right and bowled out Konstas, who charged forward for a massive slog but got holed out to mid-off for 22. Well, just three overs after the fifty of Australia was brought, Prasidh struck back and had Marnus Labuschagne steer into gully for six.
Steve Smith crawled to 9,999 Test runs and was one run short of reaching the 10,000 Test runs club. But Prasidh had other ideas, as he bowled a length ball that bounced sharply and took the outside edge of Smith's bat and was caught by forward-diving gully.
Khawaja and Head passed their time till lunch came, which ensured that Australia didn't lose another wicket in the first session. After lunch, Khawaja scored five quick boundaries off Prasidh and Siraj, and India conceded 33 runs in the first five overs.
Just when it looked like Khawaja would get his second fifty of the series, he bottom-edged a pull shot behind to Rishabh Pant off Siraj and fell for 41 off 45 balls, giving the pacer his 100th Test wicket.
Webesster, after hitting 57 off the first innings, shone bright with backfoot punch and leaning drives getting him boundaries while Head cut Nitish Kumar Reddy for his third boundary and delicately flicked Siraj for four more.
Backfoot play was shiner in case of Webster, as he pulled Siraj for four, cut Nitish handsomely through gully and produced a square drive off Washington Sundar for two fours.
He fittingly lofted Washington over mid-off for the winning four to get Australia home and win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade, as Webster ended his Test debut with scores of 57 and 39 not out, apart from taking a wicket and grabbing two sharp catches.
Brief Scores: India 185 and 157 in 39.5 overs (Rishabh Pant 61; Scott Boland 6-45) lost to Australia 181 and 162/4 in 27 overs (Usman Khawaja 41, Beau Webster 39 not out; Prasidh Krishna 3-65, Mohammed Siraj 1-69) by six wickets.
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