Australia Defeats India By 209, Becoming WTC Champion.

India’s quest for an elusive ICC title was prolonged as they suffered a comprehensive 209-run defeat at the hands of Pat Cummins and his Australian teammates in the World Test Championship (WTC) final on Day 5 at The Oval. The Indian team, requiring a daunting 444 runs to win in their second innings, succumbed to a meager total of 234, as Australia sealed victory in the opening session of the final day’s play.

Australia took control of the match right from Day 1, with Travis Head and Steve Smith both registering centuries to propel their team to a formidable total of 469 in the first innings. India’s top-order batsmen struggled to make an impact, but a resilient innings of 89 by Ajinkya Rahane, supported by vital contributions from Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja, helped India avoid the follow-on. In their second innings, India showed glimpses of a comeback, but a crucial 93-run partnership between Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc guided Australia to a declaration at 270/8.

Chasing a mammoth target of 444 runs, India concluded Day 4 at 164/3. However, Scott Boland provided Australia with a perfect start on the final day by dismissing both Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja in the same over. Kohli was caught at slips by Steve Smith for 49, while Jadeja fell for a duck, caught behind the stumps. Rahane continued to play some attacking shots before being dismissed by Mitchell Starc for 46. Shardul Thakur, who had scored a crucial half-century in the first innings, failed to open his account this time around. The Indian wickets continued to tumble, and it was Nathan Lyon who struck the final blow to secure victory for Australia