WTC Final 2023: Australia win by 209 runs, clinch title as India collapse on Day 5

Australia were on Sunday crowned champions of the ICC World Test Championship’s (WTC) 2021-23 cycle, after they defeated India by 209 runs in the final at The Oval in London.

Chasing a target of 444 was always going to be a mountain to climb for India, but at the end of the fourth day’s play on Saturday, India had a glimmer of hope having posted 164/3, with Virat Kohli unbeaten on 44 and Ajinkya Rahane not out on 20.

However, early on Sunday, regular wickets returned to haunt India, with Nathan Lyon ending up as the pick of the Aussie bowlers.

Lyon finished with figures of 4/41, as India were bundled out for 234.

Earlier on Sunday, Kohli and Rahane began on a steady note, with both looking good to build a formidable partnership and keep India alive. However, it was a game-changing over from Scott Boland in the 47th that eventually changed the direction of the match. Boland, the 34-year-old Aussie pacer, got rid of Kohli for 49, and saw off Ravindra Jadeja for a duck just two deliveries later.

Against Kohli, Boland delivered a full length ball wide of off, but Kohli went big on the drive and ended up edging it towards Steve Smith at second slip. Jadeja, too, went for the drive similarly but took the edge off the bat en route to the wicketkeeper, Alex Carey.

While India certainly lost a bit of momentum with the two big wickets of Kohli and Jadeja, not all was lost however, with Ajinkya Rahane fighting to keep them alive. Even after the double blow from Boland, Rahane continued to produce boundaries at regular intervals, including a straight drive down the ground off Mitchell Starc’s delivery in the 55th over.

Rahane, however, was dismissed by Starc in the 57th over, getting caught by Carey, who had a busy day behind the wickets.

KS Bharat, Rahane’s partner after the dismissals of Kohli and Jadeja, never really got going, despite collecting a couple of boundaries, and looked unsettled at the crease. In the 62nd over, Bharat went for the slog across the line looking to clear midwicket, but instead got a top edge that went to Nathan Lyon, the bowler himself.

Shardul Thakur, who had scored a valiant 51 in the first innings, was unable to recreate any magic with the bat from that innings, being dismissed for a five-ball duck. Lyon was the orchestrator once again, trapping Thakur LBW that looked plumb.

India were reeling at 213/7 following Thakur’s dismissal, and there was no way back for Rohit Sharma and Co in the contest.

Barring an unbeaten 13 from Mohammed Shami, there was hardly any resistance from the Indian lower order ever since Thakur’s wicket. With India at 224/9 after Bharat’s wicket, it was just a matter of time, before Nathan Lyon finished proceedings with the wicket of Mohammed Siraj, who was caught by Scott Boland at backward point.

Siraj had gone for the reverse sweep to Lyon’s length ball, but eventually scooped it towards Boland, who took the catch comfortably.

The defeat meant it was India’s second successive loss at a WTC Final, having gone down to New Zealand by eight wickets two years back in Southampton.

For Australia, it was another feather in the cap. Australia already have five ODI World Cups to their name, apart from a T20 World Cup and two Champions Trophy titles. This was their ninth major ICC trophy altogether.

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