0
W
0
4
0
0
= 4
Match Details
AUS vs IND Final, WTC Final 2023
IND 296(69.4)
234-1063.3
Australia won by 209 runs 🏆
469(121.3)
AUS
84.3270-8
Commentary
All
Highlights
Overs
W
6s
4s
Inn 1
Inn 2
Inn 3
Inn 4
Milestone
So, that puts a full stop to the 2021-23 World Test Championship cycle. Australia were at the top of the points table and continued their dominance when it mattered the most. They defeat the Men in Blue by a thick margin of 209 runs to lift the mace. What a moment for skipper Pat Cummins and his boys.🔥
From dominating the 2021-22 Ashes (4-0), and clinching the Benaud-Qadir Trophy (1-0), the Aussies scurried through Warne-Muralidaran Trophy (1-1), Frank Worrell Trophy (2-0), South Africa series at home (2-0), Border Gavaskar Trophy (1-2; lost) and reached the finals. Eventually, a dominant performance and a bed of roses await.
We hope you enjoyed our coverage throughout the finals. Not the result the Indian fans and team desired but the story continues... India still in the quest for the silverware since 2013 Champions Trophy. For now, this is your guy, forlorn but still strong with a light at the end of the tunnel- Arijit Kundu, signing off alongside fellow cricket freaks Anirudh Modi and Ayan Chatterjee. Zeeshan Naiyer, who had an early exit due to India's loss, was the scorer/analyst throughout the five days.
From dominating the 2021-22 Ashes (4-0), and clinching the Benaud-Qadir Trophy (1-0), the Aussies scurried through Warne-Muralidaran Trophy (1-1), Frank Worrell Trophy (2-0), South Africa series at home (2-0), Border Gavaskar Trophy (1-2; lost) and reached the finals. Eventually, a dominant performance and a bed of roses await.
We hope you enjoyed our coverage throughout the finals. Not the result the Indian fans and team desired but the story continues... India still in the quest for the silverware since 2013 Champions Trophy. For now, this is your guy, forlorn but still strong with a light at the end of the tunnel- Arijit Kundu, signing off alongside fellow cricket freaks Anirudh Modi and Ayan Chatterjee. Zeeshan Naiyer, who had an early exit due to India's loss, was the scorer/analyst throughout the five days.
CREX Player of the Day: Scott Boland
He was the wreaker in chief in the first hour of play on Day 5. Firstly, he set up Virat Kohli brilliantly and induced the outside edge of the bat to the keeper. Secondly, he removed Ravindra Jadeja for a silver duck in the same over. It was the game-changing moment in Australia's defence.
He was the wreaker in chief in the first hour of play on Day 5. Firstly, he set up Virat Kohli brilliantly and induced the outside edge of the bat to the keeper. Secondly, he removed Ravindra Jadeja for a silver duck in the same over. It was the game-changing moment in Australia's defence.
Rahul Dravid (India head coach): "Yeah, it was difficult. We have seen that we keep fighting no matter how far we are as per the situation. We have fought and made comebacks in the past. We gave a good fight in two days. We needed a brilliant, exceptional performance.
Obviously, they had the upper hand, and then gave away the wicket. It can happen. It was not a 469 runs wicket. I feel the runs we have leaked to the lower middle order, that is a thing. We knew what line and length we had to bowl, we didn't bowl the right line. We gave away room to Travis Head who capitalized. I feel, in that stage, we went behind. Maybe, in the second innings, we could have been careful while playing a few shots.
Not like that, we came here and there was grass in the wicket. It was quite cloudy. We have seen that the batting gets easier as the game progresses in these conditions. We saw that various teams get an advantage batting second.
Being at 76-3, we thought we were in a good spot. I think we would have been in the game if 300 would have been the score needed.
The last time also when played at Edgbaston, we have seen 380 around being chased. I thought that 440 is way too much but I still felt that 320 around was a good thing to chase.
[Sourav Ganguly] When you look at the top order, the average is very low outside the subcontinents, someone has 26, some 27, and others, and that needs to be reduced. This is a problem that needs to be solved soon.
[Rahul Dravid] There are a lot of players of high standards playing at no. 5 and 6. The high-profile players batting at no. 3, 4, and 6 they will go on to be called a legend. They are good performers and I am sure that they will see it and say that these are not of high standards as per them.
I will say that the wickets have been challenging at times despite will have to say we got some better conditions at times. Every match is important and you need to win every match. Average is low for every players across teams. But as you said, you [Ganguly] are correct. If we give runs to our bowlers, it's a plus point. Harbhajan used to play for us and he used to feel good when we pile up runs.
[on Harbhajan questioning the Indian wickets] I think nobody wants wickets to turn from the first ball and turn square. As you get to the back end of it, everyone wants to have turns. Australia also used to play in wickets where the wickets get lost in three to four days. When you play on conditions like this, they can go variably. I agree that some wickets in India were difficult.
We are getting close. We are getting to the semi-finals, we are getting to finals, but I don't think we played our best game in the last five days. We will be going through the data, the numbers, and stats, we will look back and see. We have been at our best, in the T20 world cup and the next semi-final, we are getting close.
I am never gonna be happy with the prep as a coach. The schedules are so tight and so much, you need to be better prepared due to the packed schedule. No complaints, I wanna congratulate Australia for the cricket they have played. No excuses, no complaints, but they were the better side on this day."
Obviously, they had the upper hand, and then gave away the wicket. It can happen. It was not a 469 runs wicket. I feel the runs we have leaked to the lower middle order, that is a thing. We knew what line and length we had to bowl, we didn't bowl the right line. We gave away room to Travis Head who capitalized. I feel, in that stage, we went behind. Maybe, in the second innings, we could have been careful while playing a few shots.
Not like that, we came here and there was grass in the wicket. It was quite cloudy. We have seen that the batting gets easier as the game progresses in these conditions. We saw that various teams get an advantage batting second.
Being at 76-3, we thought we were in a good spot. I think we would have been in the game if 300 would have been the score needed.
The last time also when played at Edgbaston, we have seen 380 around being chased. I thought that 440 is way too much but I still felt that 320 around was a good thing to chase.
[Sourav Ganguly] When you look at the top order, the average is very low outside the subcontinents, someone has 26, some 27, and others, and that needs to be reduced. This is a problem that needs to be solved soon.
[Rahul Dravid] There are a lot of players of high standards playing at no. 5 and 6. The high-profile players batting at no. 3, 4, and 6 they will go on to be called a legend. They are good performers and I am sure that they will see it and say that these are not of high standards as per them.
I will say that the wickets have been challenging at times despite will have to say we got some better conditions at times. Every match is important and you need to win every match. Average is low for every players across teams. But as you said, you [Ganguly] are correct. If we give runs to our bowlers, it's a plus point. Harbhajan used to play for us and he used to feel good when we pile up runs.
[on Harbhajan questioning the Indian wickets] I think nobody wants wickets to turn from the first ball and turn square. As you get to the back end of it, everyone wants to have turns. Australia also used to play in wickets where the wickets get lost in three to four days. When you play on conditions like this, they can go variably. I agree that some wickets in India were difficult.
We are getting close. We are getting to the semi-finals, we are getting to finals, but I don't think we played our best game in the last five days. We will be going through the data, the numbers, and stats, we will look back and see. We have been at our best, in the T20 world cup and the next semi-final, we are getting close.
I am never gonna be happy with the prep as a coach. The schedules are so tight and so much, you need to be better prepared due to the packed schedule. No complaints, I wanna congratulate Australia for the cricket they have played. No excuses, no complaints, but they were the better side on this day."
Match Bulletins (Day 1):
Siraj gives India a head start, nicking off Khawaja for 0
Labuschagne gets hit on his left glove off Siraj
Warner and Labuschagne cautiously bat out Shami and Siraj
Session 1, Drinks: AUS- 29/1 (12 overs), Warner 17(33), Labuschagne 11(29)
Umesh fails to backup the good job of the new ball bowlers
Warner smashes Umesh Yadav for 4 fours in an over
50-run partnership between Warner and Labuschagne
Umesh comes back well and hits Labuschagne on the gloves
Shardul pins Labuschagne on the pads twice but reviews favoured the batter
Seven minutes before Lunch, Lord Thakur dismisses Warner
Lunch, Day 1: AUS- 73/2 (23 overs) Labuschagne 26(61), Smith 2(7)
Shami cleans up Labuschagne in the second over after Lunch.
Siraj troubles Smith who cops up blows on trot.
Travis Head caresses
Session 2, Drinks: Aus- 125-3 (36) Head: 35(28), Smith: 19(57)
50 runs partnership between Smith and Head.
Head brings up half-century via TravBall.
Ravindra Jadeja introduced- first sign of spin in the 39th over.
Tea, Day 1: AUS- 170/3 (51) Smith: 33*, Head: 60*
Head and Smith bring their 100-run partnership straight after tea
Indian attack Head with short deliveries and the southpaw dealt with it nicely
Smudge breached his 38th Test fifty in his own style
Head notched his 6th Test hundred, his first century versus India and his first century in England
Session 3, Drinks: AUS- 247/3 (67 overs) Smith: 57(160), Head 105(114)
200-run partnership between Smith and Head
Australia crossed the 300-run mark just before the second new ball
Indian bowlers couldn't find anything from the second new ball
Smith signs off the day with a delightful extra cover drive
Stumps, Day 1: AUS: 327/3 (85 overs) Smith: 95(227), Head: 146(156)
Match Bulletins (Day 2):
Steven Smith caresses back-to-back fours in the first over of the day to rack up the 31st Test ton
Travis Head brings up 150 in the 89.5th over
Short ball ploy yields dividends for Siraj as he removes Head for 163
Shami lures Green onto a drive and gets his outside edge nicked
Session: 1, Drinks: AUS - 382/5 (97 overs) (Smith 120*, Carey 4*)
Steven Smith chops on off the bowling of Shardul Thakur
Team 400 up for Australia in 102.5 overs
Axar Patel’s (sub) direct throw sends Mitchell Starc back to the hut
Day 2, Lunch: AUS: 422/7 (109 overs) Carey: 22*, Cummins: 2*)
Carey and Cummins pile on the agony and add a 50-run partnership, taking Australia past 450
Ravindra Jadeja introduced late in the day, traps Carey in front
Siraj cleans up the tail
First Innings, AUS: 469 (121.3 overs) Head 163(174), Smith 121(268), Siraj- 4/108 (28.3)
Shubman Gill creams a cover drive to get his first runs in the final
Cummins traps Rohit plumb in front
Boland leaves Gill puzzled as the latter misjudged the line
Tea Day 2: IND- 37/2 after 10 overs (Pujara:3*, Kohli: 4*)
Cameron Green removes Pujara for 14 as the latter misjudged completely
Mitchell Starc gets rid of Virat Kohli for 14 with a beauty
Ajinkya Rahane survives a review scare as Pat Cummins oversteps
Session 3, Drinks: IND- 98/4 after 24 overs (Rahane 17*, Jadeja 18*)
Rahane survives a lbw decision as the Aussie skipper oversteps
Rahane and Jadeja bring up 50 runs partnership
Nathan Lyon comes into the attack and removes Ravindra Jadeja for 48
Bharat gets peppered on his body with the extra bounce of the Oval
Rahane and Bharat did well to take India to Stumps without any further hiccups
Stumps Day 2: IND- 151/5 after 38 overs (Rahane: 29*, Bharat: 5*) trail AUS by 318 runs
Match Bulletins (Day 3):
Scott Boland removes KS Bharat off the second ball of the day
Shardul Thakur receives a barrage of short balls from Pat Cummins
Green at gully puts down a catch of Thakur
50 runs stand between Thakur & Rahane
50 for Rahane and brought up with a six off Cummins
Drinks Session 1: India 209/6 after 49 overs. (Rahane- 62, Thakur-16)
Australia’s slip cordon let go Rahane’s edge
100 runs partnership between Thakur and Rahane
Thakur survives a lbw scare as Cummins oversteps
Lunch Day 3: IND- 260/6 (60 overs), Rahane (89 off 122), Shardul (36 off 83)
Green at gully with an one-handed screamer to dismiss Rahane 11 short of his century
Shami and Thakur hit some strokes collecting important runs
Shardul with a perfect straight drive off Cummins
Shardul gets to yet another fifty at the Oval
India bowled out for 296 conceding a lead of 173 runs to Australia
Siraj removes Warner early in the second innings
Marnus Labuschagne gets hit on the gloves multiple times by Siraj
Tea Day 3: Aus- 23/1 (11 overs) Khawaja 13, Labuschagne 8
Umesh Yadav removes Usman Khawaja for 13
50 runs partnership between Smith and Labuschagne
Drinks Session 3: AUS- 83/2 (28 overs)Labuschagne 34, Smith 32
Jadeja outfoxes Smith as he looks to slog him down the ground
Siraj with a short ball ploy to Head, which almost works
Umesh Yadav puts down a simple catch of Head and parries it over the ropes
Jadeja takes a sharp return catch and gets rid of Head
Labuschagne and Green negotiate the remaining part of the day
Stumps Day 3: AUS- 123/4 (44) Labuschagne 41, Green 7
Match Bulletins (Day 4):
Umesh Yadav dismisses Marnus Labuschagne in the 3rd over of the day
Drinks: Australia: 156/5 after 58 overs. (Cameron Green: 21, Alex Carey: 15)
Ravindra Jadeja removes Cameron Green for 25.
Day 4, Lunch, Session 1: AUS: 201-6 Starc: 11*(19), Carey: 41* (61)
Alex Carey reaches his 4th Test fifty.
Mohammad Shami dismisses Mitchell Starc for 41.
Drinks Day 4: Australia: 269/7 after 84 overs. (Carey:66, Cummins: 5)
Innings Break: Australia: 270/8 declared after 84.3 overs. (Carey 66*)
Scott Boland removes Shubman Gill for 18.
Tea Day 4: India: 41/1 after 7.1 overs (Rohit : 22*)
Rohit and Pujara steadies proceedings for India, gels 50-run partnership
Nathan Lyon comes into the attack and gets rid of Rohit Sharma for 43
Cheteshwar Pujara gives his wicket away to Pat Cummins.
Drinks, Day 4: India: 101/3 after 23 overs. Virat Kohli: 8, Ajinkya Rahane: 0
Stumps, Day 4: India 164/3 after 40 overs. Virat Kohli: 44, Ajinkya Rahane: 20
Match Bulletins (Day 5):
Scott Boland sets up Virat Kohli who falls for 49
Change of angle removes Jadeja for a silver duck in the same over from Boland
Session 1, Drinks: IND: 195-5; Bharat: 14 (22), Rahane: 31 (89)
Mitchell Starc strikes and gets rid of Ajinkya Rahane for 46
Nathan Lyon removes Shardul Thakur, traps plumb in front
Umesh Yadav and Bharat fell in quick succession.
Siraj is the last man out as Australia wins the game by 209 runs to win the WTC 2023.
Australia are the Test Champions.
Pat Cummins now goes and lifts the Mace. He gets it from Geoff Allardyce and the celebrations begin in the Australian camp. This is their 9th ICC trophy and the first country to hold all the ICC trophies.
Pat Cummins (Australia Captain): "Yeah, we have made the most of it. We were about to bowl. The way Smithy and Travis put up the partnership, that was a thing of comfort.
He has been brilliant, starting off with the campaign, with the Ashes. He was fantastic. We left Day 1 like we were on top of the game. The way we countered, we played really well. We were in full control for the most part of it.
Yeah, fantastic, he [Scott Boland] has been one of my favourite players, and he has been so. He came in and got us with a key breakthrough. We came into this, with a different preparation. We will save it for a few days before we turn our attention to other.
It's huge. This is our favorite format. We grew up watching this, Test cricket. We are satisfied and we love it. We love playing and turn up our focus on this."
He has been brilliant, starting off with the campaign, with the Ashes. He was fantastic. We left Day 1 like we were on top of the game. The way we countered, we played really well. We were in full control for the most part of it.
Yeah, fantastic, he [Scott Boland] has been one of my favourite players, and he has been so. He came in and got us with a key breakthrough. We came into this, with a different preparation. We will save it for a few days before we turn our attention to other.
It's huge. This is our favorite format. We grew up watching this, Test cricket. We are satisfied and we love it. We love playing and turn up our focus on this."
Pat Cummins leads the Australian side to receive the medals.
Rohit Sharma | India Captain: "It was a tough one, we started well with winning the toss and putting them to bat in those conditions. We bowled well in the first session but we have to give credit to the Aussie batters, Head and Smith played really well, we knew it was always hard to come back, we put on a good show and fought till the end. But congratulations Australia.
We spoke about bowling tighter lines and trying a few things but we had to stay in the game and keep working, sometimes it comes off and sometimes it doesn't. Both Rahane and Shardul stood up for us after we were 5 down for 150. We bowled well in the second innings, learning from our mistakes in the first innings. But we didn't apply ourselves during the batting stage and it was a great pitch to bat on on all 5 days.
Playing two finals is a great achievement for us but we would like to go a mile ahead the next time. It was a great effort from the entire unit in the past two years, it is a bit unfortunate that we could not go on and win the final but we will keep our heads high and fight to win the next one.
The support was great on all 5 days, I would like to thank each one of them on behalf of the entire team and management, they were cheering on each ball and each run, and we had a great crowd at the Oval."
We spoke about bowling tighter lines and trying a few things but we had to stay in the game and keep working, sometimes it comes off and sometimes it doesn't. Both Rahane and Shardul stood up for us after we were 5 down for 150. We bowled well in the second innings, learning from our mistakes in the first innings. But we didn't apply ourselves during the batting stage and it was a great pitch to bat on on all 5 days.
Playing two finals is a great achievement for us but we would like to go a mile ahead the next time. It was a great effort from the entire unit in the past two years, it is a bit unfortunate that we could not go on and win the final but we will keep our heads high and fight to win the next one.
The support was great on all 5 days, I would like to thank each one of them on behalf of the entire team and management, they were cheering on each ball and each run, and we had a great crowd at the Oval."
Team India led by Rohit Sharma receive the runners up medals from Geoff Allardyce.
Travis Head collects the Player of the Match award.
The match officials get their memento from the dignatories.
5:30 PM IST | Time for the post match presentation ceremony..
KEY MOMENTS OF THE WTC FINAL (AUSTRALIA):
The Head-Smith massive stand
Earlier, Australia posted a total of 469 runs on the back of two tons - Travis Head and Steve Smith. Despite being in a tricky situation after the second session on Day 1, Smith and Head built a 285 runs partnership to change the complexion of the game and take Australia to a commendable state.
David Warner’s gritty 43 in the first innings.
Warner had the tough job to negate the moving ball while Warner and Shami dished bullets at him. It was a bit overcast and not easy to be dealt with. He didn’t let the momentum shift on the Indian side despite losing Usman Khawaja early. He made the run-scoring easy for the next batters to follow.
Alex Carey’s valuable contributions
Carey’s contribution to the Test will be eclipsed by the two centurions in Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc. But it is worth mentioning that he glued a 51 runs stand with Pat Cummins (1st innings) and a 93-run stand with Mitchell Starc (2nd innings) which helped Australia to get a lead of 443 runs at the end of the third innings. Carey (48 & 66) silently did his job and excellently batted against the spinner.
Scott Boland and his precision.
The Scott Boland dismissal to remove Virat Kohli in the 2nd innings has to be one of the best set up’s of this final Test. He also removed Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja in the 2nd innings. Also, the dismissal of Shubman Gill in the first innings was clinical to push India on the back foot.
Steven Smith: "Great to be in this final. Two good teams against each other. First day onwards we were in control and that partnership with Trav helped. We allowed India to come back in patches, But largely we were in control. That catch was important for us. Virat was important and Jadeja as well. That got us going. We deserved the win and got the win in the end. Happy with the bowling effort that the guys threw in there."
Scott Boland: "Yes, it was good fun. Nice to come out here and to do so well on that pitch was great. Yes, we kept it simple and got our rewards. Getting Kohli was great and that two wickets in the over changed it for us. Yes, great slip cordon and keeper so that helps. Yes, lots of hard work and I am paying the rewards now. Happy to contribute for the team. Now looking forward to the Ashes starting on Friday."
Mitchell Starc: "The wickets came to us but we had to be patient to get those breakthrough and our bowling attack today was fantastic. Smith pulled off another stunner today and you need those little moments to win the game, particularly the important wicket of Virat Kohli was great.
In the first innings, we knew we couldn't take our foot off the gas and we had to be at it and I'm happy we are rewarded. This group has been fantastic for a long time, the last time against India didn't go quite our way but we enjoyed this journey together and it's now onto the Ashes!
Coming off that test series not to long ago, a number of guys played in the IPL as well, so there was a bit of familiarity there but this group has been fantastic and we are going to enjoy this."
In the first innings, we knew we couldn't take our foot off the gas and we had to be at it and I'm happy we are rewarded. This group has been fantastic for a long time, the last time against India didn't go quite our way but we enjoyed this journey together and it's now onto the Ashes!
Coming off that test series not to long ago, a number of guys played in the IPL as well, so there was a bit of familiarity there but this group has been fantastic and we are going to enjoy this."
Commentary