(Reuters) – Australia held their nerve to chase down their victory target of 162 after lunch on the third day of the fifth test yesterday, beating India by six wickets for a 3-1 series win and reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade.
Travis Head, who was 34 not out, and debutant Beau Webster, unbeaten on 39, got Australia over the line to also secure the hosts a spot in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June.
India captain Jasprit Bumrah was unable to bowl on Sunday because of a back issue but his fellow pace bowlers Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj kept the match on a knife edge by removing four top-order Australian batters.
The match had been played on fast forward over the first two days with 15 wickets falling on Saturday, and Australia removed four more in the first hour yesterday morning to dismiss India for 157.
The track retained some spice, and Krishna stood up in Bumrah’s stead and sent back opener Sam Konstas for 22, Marnus Labuschagne for six and Steve Smith for four before lunch.
Smith trudged off, head bowed, on 9,999 career runs, and was followed soon after the break by Usman Khawaja, who was caught behind off Siraj for 41 to leave Australia on 104-4.
Head and Webster, however, steered the home side to victory with an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 58, the latter continuing his nerveless debut by clubbing the winning runs with his sixth four.
Australia’s Scott Boland, playing for the second straight test as an injury replacement for Josh Hazlewood, earlier finished with figures of 6-45 for a 10-wicket match haul.
