Australia has reclaimed the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) for the first time in ten years after beating India in the decisive fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) by six wickets on Sunday (Jan 5). Beau Webster and Travis Head completed the run chase inside the second session on day three to hand the hosts their first series win over India since 2014/15.

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While India won the first Test in Perth, they lost the next in Adelaide by ten wickets before Australia clinched the last two (the Boxing Day Test at the MCG and Sydney’s New Year’s Test) to win back the BGT.

Also read | BGT 2024/25: 'Rohit should play in Ranji Trophy,' says Sunil Gavaskar as India captain struggles with bat

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India missed their stand-in captain, Jasprit Bumrah, on day three as they failed to defend 162 on a spicy SCG surface. Bumrah was out with a back spasm, playing no role since completing eight overs on the second day before heading for a medical checkup. Though he batted in India’s second innings, Virat Kohli, who wore the captain’s hat in his absence, used just four bowlers, mainly the two pacers, in the fourth innings.

For his unparalleled performance in this series, where he returned with 32 wickets – the most by an Indian bowler in a single edition Down Under, Bumrah won the Player of the Series award.

However, with Australia winning the BGT 2024-25, they sealed the WTC Final 2025 qualification and will face South Africa in the summit clash at the Lord’s in June (11-15).

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Australia bag SCG Test

The hosts entered the final match of the series with a stunning 185-run win in the Boxing Day Test at the iconic MCG. Beaming confidently, Australia made just one change to their winning XI, replacing underfire Mitchell Marsh with debutant Beau Webster. 

On the other hand, India made some shocking calls, with Shubman Gill roped in place of regular captain Rohit Sharma, who ‘opted out’ due to poor form, while Prasidh Krishna replaced injured Akash Deep. That move, however, did no good to India, as Gill failed to cross the 20-run mark across both innings, with others continuing their horror run with the bat.

In Rohit’s absence, the entire onus fell on star batter Kohli, who collected just 23 runs (17, 6) in two outings, ending the series with 190 runs in nine innings, averaging 23.75.

Meanwhile, India had their chances in the second innings when Rishabh Pant was at the crease, but the wickets fell like the pack of cards following his dismissal on 61 off 33 balls. Scott Boland, roped in as injured Josh Hazlewood’s replacement, took ten wickets across two innings, including six for 45 in the second. He won the Player of the Match award for his performance.

Bumrah’s absence in the second innings cost India big time, as despite picking three wickets inside the first session, the visitors failed to put Australia under pressure and conceded the Test, the series and the golden chance to qualify for their third-straight WTC Final.