The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That brings us to the end of our coverage of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25. We hope you enjoyed following the action as much as we did bringing it to you. It is time for Darpan Tikiya to sign off on the behalf of Bala and the rest of the team. Keep following Sportskeeda for more sporting action from around the world. Sayonara!
The "toughest rivalry" lived up to its billing. Over the last 6 weeks, the world stood up and took notice of the action as it unfolded. Over 837,000 people walked in through the gates of the five iconic stadiums to watch it live. Many more followed it through apps like CricRocket and Sportskeeda. And it gave us all — from exhilarating cricket to spicy off the field drama, from breathtaking spells of bowling to comical dropped catches, from attritional grinds to whirlwind knocks, from contentious decisions to some fun banter on the stump mic — it had everything. "It was one of the best series I have ever played in", said captain Pat Cummins at the post-series presentation as he collected the only major piece of silverware that had been missing from his cabinet. Australia have not only regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but now also have one foot in the WTC finals. Though, the qualification would only be sealed depending on the result in Sri Lanka in a few weeks time.
For India, there is plenty to ponder. To be fair, the 3-1 scoreline does not reflect how well the visitors fought in the series. From scripting a fairytale in Perth, to exhibiting grit in Brisbane and fighting till the dying moments in Sydney and Melbourne, there is plenty that they can be proud of. But there are a lot of questions to be answered too going ahead. Amidst all the chaos and commotion though, one man stood tall and deserves a special mention. He was head and shoulders above the rest leading from the front throughout. "Only if Jasprit Bumrah was fit today" — Indian fans will wonder. But hey! There is no place for "shoulda' woulda' and coulda'" in sports.
Overall, it is a series that will be remembered for several reasons. For being the where we witnessed the last of a bonafide legend of the game — Ravichandran Ashwin. For being a rollercoaster ride that took us through a myriad of twists and turns, keeping us on the edge of our seats throughout. Or for a few famous debut performances — Nitish Kumar Reddy, Sam Konstas, Beau Wesbter among others. But rest assured, years later, we all will be citing this series telling our kids about just how beautiful Test cricket can be. It has been a pleasure to bring you all the action.
2:55pm local time [9:25am IST] - Allan Border hands the trophy to Pat Cummins, who calls his mates on the stage to pose for the photograph. Off go the confetti and other glittery stuff. It will be followed by a selfie of the entire group snapped by the skipper himself. Ideally, it would have been "Tea" by now, but today for Australia it is rather "champagne time".
Pat Cummins (Australia captain): "This was one of the few ones (trophy) we didn't have. Always got an eye for the last year or two. Lived up to the hype. (Plans for the morning) Just been clear with the plans, minimize the amount of runs. We knew it was a tricky wicket. Just take the game forward, keep ticking runs. Immensely proud of the effort. We spent a lot of time together over the years. It wasn't as bad as it seemed in Perth. Had a lot of fun with these guys, success in the end is amazing. Such a special group, privileged to have the opportunity to lead them. Support staff, families, they have given a lot. We are having the time of our lives. It's always nice, three debutants this series, filled in really well. Pretty happy with the way I played throughout the series. I was lucky to come fresh into the series. Some key moments, some our mainstays really stood up."
Jasprit Bumrah (India Captain) is the "Player of the Series", here is what he has to say: "Little frustrating to not be out there but sometimes you have to respect your body and listen to it. Missed out on the spiciest day of the series, but it is what it is. The chat was about believe. The other bowlers stepped up in the last innings as well. So that was the chat this morning. Lots of ifs and buts. The whole series was well fought and it was not a one-sided contest. The team that holds its nerves in tough moments comes out on top — that is how Test cricket goes. Lot of learnings and positives for us. The youngsters are keen and would have surely learnt a lot from this. They are disappointed that we haven't won it but it would be a learning curve. It was a great series. Congratulations to Australia. They deserved to win."
Scott Boland (Player of the Match): It's been really enjoyable couple of months. Didn't expect to play too much part this series. There are really good fast bowlers in the country. Kept my body in shape. 3-1 against India hasn't been done for a while, yeah, awesome. Happy to be playing a part wherever I can.
While we await the post-series presentation, here is one of highlight moments form the last session:-
Here is what Beau Webster had to say: "It’s been a hell of a game. Great crowd, what an atmosphere. I was counting down the runs, was pretty confident the whole chase. When it was down to four, I was going to try and slog it. It came off, else I was going to leave it to Head for the next over. Nice couple of weeks to be around the lads. To get a chance in the last Test was a bit unexpected. Hope I can play well for a lot more. Hell of a crowd, whole series has been well supported. Great support from everyone back home., been a hectic few days, thanks to everyone."
Travis Head speaks to the hosts broadcaster, here is what he has to say: "Nice to contribute. I don't worry about the result. Two nice team, though it would be nice if I can contribute. Crazy three days, looking forward to ten days off. Disappointed in the last couple of innings. Knew that if we build a partnership and get a momentum off, it would get easier with the low target. Very difficult, the last series was really tough. Then we lost in Perth, the series could have gone either way. Five Tests have been a lot, really looking forward to some days off. Media has hyped it up in all directions. Very pleased overall. 15 people were pleased that Bumrah wasn't there today (chuckles). Biggest individual performance I have seen. Nitish, I already knew how special he was. There was lot of players (from India) who played well. We played extremely well after Perth."
2:25pm local time [8:55am IST] - Australia win by 6 wickets and seal the series 3-1.
Session Summary: 14 overs, 91 runs, 1 wicket.
Australia's decade long wait for the Border-Gavaskar comes to an end. Some would tell you that the writing was on the wall at Lunch, when they were left with only 91 more to get and had to deal with an Indian attack sans Bumrah. But not many would have expected them to get there that quick.
India had a ray of hope, when Khawaja was dismissed trying to swish one across the line. He got a feather through to the keeper and that brought up 100 wickets in Tests for Mohammed Siraj. But Beau Webster took to the pressure situation, like fish to water. He was steadfast in his defence and did not fail to punish any loose balls. On the other end, Travis Head did what Travis Head does — scored runs at a decent clip and batted India out of the match. Eventually, the shoulders started to drop in the Indian camp and Webster finished it off with a flamboyant boundary down the ground.
Earlier in the day, India could only add 16 more runs to their overnight score of 141/6 and gave the hosts a target of 162 runs to chase. Bumrah did not take the field due to injury. The visitors started off bowling a few wayward ones down the leg side but were soon back into the contest as Konstas and Labuschagne played a couple of poor shots to throw their wickets away. With a mixed bag of some awry deliveries and some pearlers, Prasidh Krishna was the pick of the attack and finished with figures of 3/65 against his name in the second innings.
Webster was ready to walk off the field. But Head told him something, that made him turn around and get back to the pitch. He uproots a stump, tucks it under his armpit and walks off with a smile on his face.
The SCG erupts!! Australia's decade long wait comes to an end. They regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
26.6 Washington Sundar to Beau Webster, FOUR! Webster throws a punch in the air! Australia has sealed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy! Charges down the track and powers the ball down to long-off. What a debut Webster has had! And fittingly hits the winning runs in front of a packed SCG crowd!
26.5 Washington Sundar to Beau Webster, inside edge but there's nobody close in. Goes towards square leg
Three men back on the boundary on the leg side.
The SCG is buzzing like a beehive. The hosts are one hit away from sealing the series. Can the debutant finish it in this over?
26.4 Washington Sundar to Beau Webster, FOUR! Bowls it a touch short and pays the price. Webster punches the ball through point off the back foot
26.2 Washington Sundar to Beau Webster, flatter delivery on middle and leg. Drives it down to long-on
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Sydney Cricket Ground
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