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AUS vs IND 2024/25, AUS vs IND 5th Test Match Report, January 3-5, 2025

January 5, 2025

Australia 181 (Webster 57, Prasidh 3-42, Siraj 3-51) and 162 for 4 (Khawaja 41, Webster 39*, Head 34*, Prasidh 3-65) won India 185 (Pant 40, Boland 4-31, Starc 3-49) and 157 (Pant 61, Boland 6-45, Cummins 3-44) for six wickets

Australia regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the silver medal that had eluded them for a decade, and confirmed their place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final alongside South Africa, after dispatching India in three days at the SCG.

India’s hopes of staying in contention for the WTC final depended on Jasprit Bumrah, but without him they faded. For someone who had a huge influence on this series, with the most wickets by an Indian bowler on a tour of Australia, it was a shame that he couldn’t feature in the final act, although he had still done enough to be the Player of the Series.

Having left the SCG on the second day for scans on his back, Bumrah returned to bat at 11 on the third day but was not fit to bowl. All the first images had foreshadowed Bumrah’s absence. He didn’t warm up with the other bowlers and only shadow bowled a bit. Then, after becoming the last Indian batsman to be dismissed, for a duck, he did not take the field at all for India’s defense of 161. Given his history of back problems, India had to wrap him in cotton.

The target was substantial for Australia, especially on this spicy SCG surface, but it looked much smaller when Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna sprayed the new ball. The pair conceded 12 runs through wides and leg-side byes in the first two overs. Although Prasidh squeezed in and took three wickets, including that of Steven Smith, Bumrah’s absence hung like Coleridge’s albatross around India’s neck.

The batsmen did not make it any easier for the depleted Indian attack. They lost 4 for 16 in 7.5 overs on the third morning to retire for 157. Scott Boland, who might not have played this series had Josh Hazlewood been fit and might not be a certainty for Australia’s next Test in Sri Lanka, got his first ten-wicket haul in professional cricket to hasten India’s collapse. After taking four wickets on the opening day at the SCG, Boland added six to his tally – his second five in Test cricket since his 6 for 7 on debut, which was just as glorious.

Boland had started the day with a maiden and continued to stalk both edges achieving a perfect length. He caught Siraj at first slip and castled Bumrah in the 40th over to conclude India’s innings. Boland then, predictably, held the ball high and took Australia off the field, as the SCG crowd gave him a rapturous reception.

Their captain Cummins had earlier considered Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Smith had dropped Jadeja in the slips of 6 on the second day, but it cost Australia just seven runs, with Cummins going much further to kiss Jadeja’s outside edge. He then cut one through Washington’s gate to expose the Indian tail to Boland.

Australia took advantage of Siraj and Krishna’s wayward new-ball deliveries, escaping to 39 without loss in the fourth over. Prasidh gave India the breakthrough when Sam Konstas missed an effort to mid-on for 22 off 17 balls.

After the second day of play, Prasidh talked about how he moved from his stock plan to a much more complete one after a chat with the analyst. However, on Sunday, with the newer, harder ball, he got more bounce and seam movement with his natural length. After hitting Marnus Labuschagne on the elbow, Prasidh had him direct an uppercut into the ravine.

For the second time in two days, more than 40,000 fans at the SCG were ready to celebrate Smith climbing 10,000 Test runs, but Prasidh had other ideas and caught him just shy of the milestone with a prancing delivery. Smith will now have to wait until the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle later this month for his next chance to become the 15th batsman for the 10,000 club.

India had to wait until after lunch to get rid of Usman Khawaja. The opener misjudged Siraj’s length, pulling Pant down for 41 off 45 balls. India felt they had already achieved something after that. Siraj roared as Virat Kohli, acting as captain, charged towards his bowler from the stands and pumped his fist animatedly.

Travis Head and debutant Beau Webster, however, changed the atmosphere and the game quickly. When Nitish Kumar Reddy bowled a half-volley wide in his first over, Head stayed close to the ball and unleashed a rasping drive through the covers. At the other end, Webster was less adventurous, but still scored at a rapid pace, thanks to his long reach, which interfered with the length of the bowlers.

Webster, who had made his first-class debut in 2014, might have wondered if his time at the top level would one day come. When he finally did, the 31-year-old made it memorable. He was Australia’s top scorer with 57 in his first innings (only Pant scored more runs than him) and dismissed Shubman Gill to go with an excellent catch at the slips.

On Sunday, Webster scored an unbeaten 39 off 34 balls and provided the knockout when he came out to Washington and pumped it right out of the middle of the game for four. Australia chased down 162 in 27 overs.

Prasidh and Siraj bowled 24 of the first 25 overs of the chase. Their only respite, apart from a lunch break, came when Australia were three hits away from victory. Jadeja did not throw a pitch in the final innings, while Washington threw just one. While Australia had immense depth in their attack, India lacked it and Bumrah’s absence only aggravated their troubled tour of Australia.

Deivarayan Muthu is Deputy Editor of ESPNcricinfo

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