Subhayan Chakraborty in Sydney
Australia defeated India by six wickets at the Sydney Cricket Ground to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 by a 3-1 series margin, ending their decade-long drought in the showpiece series. The Australian batters made a mockery of the chase, easily reaching the 162-run target with six wickets in hand as the Indian bowling attack leaked runs in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence due to a back injury.
It felt like the last day of the BGT had turned into the BBL. Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, and Marnus Labuschagne went after Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, cracking four boundaries in the first six overs to take Australia to 47 runs. The Indian pace duo were outright poor with the new ball, conceding 14 runs in extras by spraying the ball wide of the leg stump multiple times.
Leaking 14 extras in the first six overs, while defending a target of 162, put India on the backfoot, giving a considerable advantage to Australia in the crucial chase. The absence of Jasprit Bumrah was keenly felt. It seemed like it was a different bowling attack altogether without Bumrah, who has been the only saving grace for India with the ball, carrying the team on his back only for it to give up in the last innings.
“We had our moments and it would have been nicer if Jasprit Bumrah had been there, but we still had five bowlers and a good team has won, which is not dependent on one individual, and we did not get the result we wanted,” Gautam Gambhir told reporters after the end of the Sydney Test.
For the Latest Sports News: Click Here
There were a few good deliveries here and there, but both Siraj and Krishna will rue the fact that they didn’t come consistently, and far too many runs were leaked with the new ball.
Steve Smith couldn’t complete his 10,000 Test runs, missing out by just one run after Krishna got him out for four. He will have to wait for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle to become the fourth Australian to reach the iconic milestone in the longest format.
Though Australia had lost Konstas, Labuschagne, and Smith, Khawaja kept playing his strokes, maintaining pressure on the Indian bowlers. Without Bumrah, India conceded a couple of boundaries in the first three overs post-lunch, releasing all the pressure from the Aussies.
Travis Head, being himself, smashed the Indian pacers around as Siraj and Krishna’s pace dipped, forcing the visitors to bring in Nitish Kumar Reddy into the attack. Head was joined by debutant Beau Webster, who had cracked a brilliant half-century in the first innings; the all-rounder continued to whack the Indian pacers, scoring 39 unbeaten off 34 balls. At the end, it was a comfortable win for Australia as the Indians meekly surrendered, also getting a reality check regarding their bowling without Bumrah’s presence.
There were some disappointing performances from the Indian players, especially Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the series. While Rohit dropped himself after scoring 31 runs, Kohli ended up with 190 runs at an average of 23.75.
“I can’t talk about the future of any player. It’s up to them (Kohli, Rohit) as well,” Gambhir said. “What I can say is that they still have the hunger, they still have the passion, they are tough people. And hopefully they can continue to take it and bring it forward. But ultimately, as we all know, whatever they plan, they will plan for the best.
“I would like to say that so many reports have been written and so many things have been said. At least, we can be a little more sensible in that regard. If a leader has taken this decision ahead of his team, then I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. So, a lot of things have been said. Ultimately, the international team is not sitting there; the most important thing is the team and the most important thing is the country.
“Every individual knows that his game and his hard work is the most important thing for any sport and any profession. Because ultimately, it’s neither my team nor your team, it’s the nation’s team. I believe that, as I said, there are very honest players in our dressing room who know how hungry they are and whether the team can move forward with their contribution. My biggest responsibility is that I have to be fair to everyone in the team. Not only one or two individuals. If I’m fair to only two or three individuals and not to others, then I’m being dishonest to myself,” Gambhir added.
Scott Boland, who picked up a total of 21 wickets in three matches and finished with a 10-wicket haul in Sydney, was adjudged the Player of the Match, while Jasprit Bumrah, who finished with 32 wickets at an average of 13.06, was named Player of the Series.
The two dressing rooms, following the series finale, painted contrasting pictures. While the Indian dressing room seemed a bit down, and naturally so, the Australian players celebrated with their family members on the field. The cricketing world witnessed some quality cricket over the last couple of months, and Australia, deservingly so, emerged as the winners and have now booked a date with South Africa for the World Test Championship Final at the iconic Lord’s.
Also Read: Game still open, but advantage Australia against Bumrah-less Indian bowling