Australia defeated India by six wickets in Sydney on Sunday, January 5, to confirm their place in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final, which will be played at Lord's in June. Following the defeat at the SCG, the Indian team failed to finish in the top two spots in the 2023-25 World Test Championship standings.
Australia needed just 45 minutes on Sunday morning to wrap up India's second innings. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna battled with wayward deliveries, allowing Australia to score 35 runs in the first three overs. Openers Usman Khawaja and Sam Konstas added 39 runs for the first wicket.
Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith were dismissed cheaply from Krishna. Mohammed Siraj removed Khawaja who scored 41 crucial runs. Travis Head and rookie Beau Webster led the team to victory. Australia chased down the target of 162 runs with six wickets in hand and won the series 3–1.
Rishabh Pant played a sensational Knock in India's second innings
Earlier, the Indian team managed to score 185 runs after winning the toss. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant top scored for India with 40 runs off 98 balls. For Australia, Scott Boland was the pick of the bowlers, taking four wickets for 31 runs. Australia scored 181 runs, giving away a four-run lead in the first innings.
Beau Webster smashed his half-century in Tests, scoring 57 runs off 105 balls. The Indian fast bowlers took the last five wickets despite Jasprit Bumrah being out. Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj took two wickets each while Jasprit Bumrah and Nitish Kumar Reddy claimed two wickets each.
Rishabh Pant played a sensational knock in the second innings on a challenging surface. The left-handed batsman scored 61 runs off 33 balls with the help of six fours and four sixes. However, the rest of the batsmen failed to put up a fight as India were bowled out for 157 runs. Boland collected six wickets for 45 runs.
ICC World Test Championship points table (WTC table) updated after IND vs AUS 5th Test revealed
India's points percentage in the World Test Championship table dropped from 52.77% to 50% after their eighth loss of the cycle. On the other hand, Australia improved their PCT from 61.45% to 63.73% after their 11th win. Australia retained its second position in the WTC rankings.
South Africa have already secured a place in the 2025 WTC final at Lord's after defeating Pakistan. With the win, Australia qualified for the finals and India were officially eliminated from the competition.
Here is the updated ICC World Test Championship Points Table:
| Item | Team | played | Won | Lost | Draw | Ded | puncture | pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Q South Africa | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 88 | 66,67 |
| 2 | Q Australia | 17 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 130 | 63.73 |
| 3 | India | 19 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 114 | 50.00 |
| 4 | new zealand | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 81 | 48.21 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 45.45 |
| 6 | England | 22 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 22 | 114 | 43.18 |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 45 | 31.25 |
| 8 | Pakistan | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 40 | 30.30 |
| 9 | West Indies | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 24.24 |
Australia will play two Test matches in their next series against Sri Lanka. The first Test match will be played at the Galle International Stadium in Galle, starting on January 29. Australia will play the second and final Test at the same venue from February 13.
Read also: Prasidh Krishna reveals all about Jasprit Bumrah's shocking injury during the Sydney Test