LONDON, JUNE 11
Australia earned the World Test Championship after bowling out India for 234 and winning the final by 209 runs at the Oval on Sunday.
Despite a world-record target of 444, India started the fifth and last morning with hope at 164-3 and linchpin Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane in the middle.
But Kohli was gone after half an hour and Rahane's demise started a collapse of the last five India wickets in the half-hour to scheduled lunch.
Scott Boland, playing instead of the injured Josh Hazlewood, started Australia celebrations with a two-wicket over including Kohli, and Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon also took two each for the first-time world test champion. Who Hazlewood will replace in the Ashes is a good dilemma for Australia.
"At times we weren't our slickest but for the most part we were in control," Australia captain Pat Cummins said. "Boland was fantastic, he's now my favorite player. Everyone just did their role really well.
"(The title is) huge for this (test) format, you can ask anyone in the dressing room this is our favorite format. We grew up watching it and it's the format you get the most satisfaction (from) when you win."
India beat Australia 2-1 in their last four test series, two at home and two away, to regain the world No. 1 test ranking last month from the Australians. But at the neutral Oval, it chased the game after winning the toss and failing to exploit ideal bowling conditions and execute its plans.
India has gone 10 years without winning a men's global trophy, including the first world test final in 2021 against New Zealand in Southampton.
"Playing two finals is a good achievement for us but we would like to go a mile ahead of that as well," India captain Rohit Sharma said.
"You can't take the credit away from what we have done in those two years to reach finals. It has been unfortunate that we haven't been able to win them but we'll fight to reach the next final."
Meanwhile, Australia has primed itself for the Ashes series starting next week in Birmingham by dominating India and bringing up to speed several players including Cummins, who hadn't played for months.
Boland and allrounder Cameron Green, who took two stunning catches, starred in their first test in England, and centuries by Travis Head and Steve Smith were ominous for the Ashes.
Boland and spinner Nathan Lyon, who finished off the India second innings with 4-41, took five wickets each in the match and Cummins, despite his no balls, Starc and Green contributed mightily to bowling out India twice after they put up 469 and 270-8 declared.
Wicketkeeper Alex Carey was also key with scores of 48 and 66 not out, and seven catches.
"We came into this having different preparations but everyone was switched on," Cummins said. "We'll savor this and then turn our attention to the Ashes."
The final came to a head in the seventh over of the morning.
Kohli edged Boland to a great catch at second slip by Smith and was gone for 49. Boland got Ravindra Jadeja in the same over.
Silence fell over the overwhelmingly pro-India crowd at the Oval along with an air of inevitability.
Rahane, on 20 overnight, reached 46 when he edged Starc behind and India fell in a heap, the last five wickets going for 22 runs.
