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Australia posts easy win over India to qualify for the World Test Championships finals and face South Africa

Australian cricket team regain the Border Gavaskar Trophy and qualify for the World Test Championships finals after six-wicket win over India at the SCG.

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Australia qualify for World Test Championships finals after six wicket win over India at the SCG

World Test Championships Photograph: (X)

India’s slim hopes of reaching the World Test Championships (WTC) finals were over as Australia won the SCG Test by 6 wickets. This also means that Pat Cummins has brought the Border Gavaskar Trophy back home to Australia with a 3-1 series result. The winning runs came when Beau Webster hit Washington Sundar for a boundary. 

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India started the day at 141/6 with an overall lead of 145 runs as Ravindra Jadeja and Sundar came out to bat. Pat Cummins first dismissed Jadeja for 13 and followed it up with the wicket of Washington Sundar for 12. Scott Boland ran through the rest as he claimed two wickets in an over to finish with figures of 6/45. 

The visitors were all out for 157 runs with a lead of 161, leaving Australia with a target of 162 runs. Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja made a bright start as they charged the Indian bowlers and scored 39 runs from the first three overs. That onslaught ended when Konstas tried to heave Prasidh Krishna and didn’t connect with the shot. Sundar took an easy catch as Konstas was out for 22 runs. 

India without Bumrah surrender meekly 

Prasidh Krishna then struck again when he had the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne for 6 caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal. The same bowler and fielder combination struck again to dismiss Steve Smith for four to leave Australia at 58/3. Smith was out agonisingly short of reaching the 10,000 mark as he fell 1 run short. 

Australia went into lunch at 71/3, still needing 91 runs while the visitors needed 7 wickets. Whatever hopes India had of staging a comeback were doused with Khawaja and Head attacking the bowlers. There was a small hope when Khawaja tried to pull Siraj, only for Pant to take the catch. This was Siraj's 100th wicket in Test cricket as the Aussie opener headed back to the hut for 41 runs. 

Still needing 54 runs, debutant Beau Webster joined Travis Head and took the hosts home without any troubles. Head was not out on 34 off 38 balls with four boundaries, while Webster was not out on 39 off 34 balls with six hits to the fence. The 31-year-old had batted well in the first innings to score 57 runs, which turned out to be a huge difference. 

With this loss, India now heads home with massive questions on the future of many players. Even Gautam Gambhir will be questioned by the board, while Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s futures will be spoken about. Sri Lanka have also been knocked out as Australia, who are the defending WTC Champions, qualified to play South Africa in the finals in June at Lord’s. 

Virat Kohli Gautam Gambhir Rohit Sharma Indian Cricket Team Travis Head Pat Cummins Beau Webster
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