India eliminated from WTC final race after defeat to Australia in BGT 2024-25 5th Test

Team India are now out of the 2025 World Test Championship final race following their defeat against Australia in the fifth and final Test match of the five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy series at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday, January 5. Needing 162 runs to win the fixture, the hosts chased down the target in 27 overs on Day 3 at the loss of four wickets thereby clinching the series by a 3-1 margin.

With this victory, Australia have not only regained the Border-Gavaskar trophy after 10 years but will also be playing the World Test Championship final against South Africa at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground in London from June 11-15, 2025. Their previous win in the prestigious Test series came exactly a decade ago when they clinched the four-match series 2-0.

When the Aussies needed four runs to clinch the series, debutant Beau Webster came down the track and smashed Washington Sundar's delivery over mid-off to complete the proceedings. It was a memorable game for the 31-year-old who not only finished the game in style but also scored a half-century on his debut for his nation (57 runs off 105 balls in the first innings).

Opener Usman Khawaja top scored for Pat Cummins' men in the second innings in Sydney having amassed 41 runs off 45 balls, including four boundaries. Prasidh Krishna, who took three wickets in the first innings of the fifth Test match, was once again the pick of the bowlers for India having finished with figures of 3/65 in 12 overs. While Scott Boland was named Player of the Match, Jasprit Bumrah was adjudged Player of the Series.

A perfect start but a forgettable ending for India in the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy

Having won the previous two Border Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia in their own backyard over the last decade (2018-19 and 2020-21), the visitors had the upper hand coming into the five-match series. India began the 2024-25 series on a winning note by registering a thumping 295-run victory in the opening clash in Perth under stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah's leadership in Rohit Sharma's absence.

However, things did not turn out as expected for the Indians in the Pink-ball Test match as Australia registered a comfortable ten-wicket win in the second Test in Adelaide. While the next encounter at the Gabba ended in a draw, the reigning World Test Championship winners made it 2-1 by winning the Boxing Day Test by 184 runs in Melbourne. Adding to the woes, the series defeat margin widened to 3-1 as India lost the New Year's Test by six wickets.