India vs Australia Score, WTC Final 2023 Day 5: Australia Win By 209 Runs
India vs Australia, WTC Final 2023 Live Updates, Day 5: Australia defeated India by 209 runs.
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Australia defeated India in the final of 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship, by a margin of 209 runs.
Chasing a target of 444 runs in the fourth innings, India were bowled out for 234 runs.
None of the Indian batters could score a half-century in the last innings.
For Australia, Nathan Lyon picked up a four-fer.
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India vs Australia Live Score: Last Day Beckons
So, the day is finally here. After four days of grueling, intense battles between the willow and the cherry, we have eventually arrived at the last day of the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship final.
Not that they haven't defied odds previously, but the task India face might be a bit too daunting. 444 runs have never been chased down in the history of Test cricket, and India have chased 300+ scores in the fourth-innings on only three occasions.
Yet, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have inspired hope in the Indian camp. The pair came out to bat at a precarious time, when India lost three wickets with only 93 runs on the board.
As for the Aussies, the first session of Day 5 is going to be immensely crucial. If they manage to pick up wickets early, India's tail might not be able to sustain the pressure. On the flip side, however, should India get to the second session without losing any wickets, their probability of a win will take a significant rise.
We will bring you all the live updates from what promises to be a fascinating day of cricket at its finest.
India vs Australia Live Score: What Are India's Highest Fourth Innings Chases?
As we have mentioned already, India will be scripting history today if they do manage to chase down 444 runs. But, they have successfully chased 300+ targets on three occasions previously.
Against West Indies in 1976 (Port of Spain)
Against England in 2008 (Chennai)
Against Australia in 2021 (Brisbane)
India vs Australia Live Score: Cautious Start
It has been a cautious start from the Indian team. Scott Boland bowled a maiden to kick-start proceedings on Day 5, followed by a decent over from Pat Cummins. The Indian batters, though, are looking fairly comfortable.
India vs Australia Live Score: Kohli Gone
WICKET!
One can hear a pin drop in the Indian camp. It is has been silenced, numbed, dumbfounded. The reason? Virat Kohli is taking the long walk back to the pavilion.
Scott Boland has caused Kohli a few issues early on, and this time, he triggers the downfall of the former Indian skipper. Kohli goes for a cover drive but ends up edging it, and Steve Smith takes a stunning catch at slip. How crucial is this moment going to be in context of the game?
India are 179/6.
India vs Australia Live Score: Jadeja Out
ANOTHER WICKET! India are falling apart!
Ravindra Jadeja played an impressive knock in the first innings, but this time around, he will go back without troubling the scorers one bit. In only his second ball, the Indian all-rounder has edged a Scott Boland delivery straight into the gloves of Alex Carey behind the stumps.
KS Bharat could have followed suit on a golden duck, as he was outdone by a sharp bounce, but the ball just flies over the slip cordon.
India are 183/5.
India vs Australia Live Score: 200 Up For India
200!
The target is still miles away, but India have managed to breach the 200-run mark, so be it at the cost of five wickets. KS Bharat looks to have found footing after early troubles, and India will need him and Ajinkya Rahane to bat long, at least till the end of this session.
India are 202/5.
India vs Australia Live Score: Ajinkya Rahane Out!
GONE!
What has Ajinkya Rahane done? He is livid with himself, and he should be. The batter is looking in sublime touch, but in a momentary lapse of concentration, he opts to chase an outside-off delivery from Mitchell Starc. The outcome is just like Virat Kohli's, with the ball taking an edge. A simple catch for Alex Carey, jubilation for the Aussies, and heartbreak for the Indians.
India are 212/6.
India vs Australia Live Score: Shardul Thakur Perishes
Calamity strikes again!
When Australia started the day, the situation they are in right now is exactly what they must have dreamt about. Yet another wicket falls for India, and this time, it is the all-rounder who scored a crucial half-century in the first innings, Shardul Thakur. Nathan Lyon traps him leg before wicket.
India are 213/7. Australia are just three wickets away, and the game could, just could, end in this session itself.
India vs Australia Live Score: Yadav Gone
COLLAPSE CONTINUES!
They will be bitterly disappointed with their performance today, will the Indian team. The odds might have been stacked in the Aussies' favour, but India needed to put up a fight – a department they were found wanting at, in perhaps the most important session of the match. Umesh Yadav becomes the eighth batter to be dismissed, with Mitchell Starc getting his second wicket of the innings.
Australia are just two wickets away from a victory. Only a matter of time now.
India vs Australia Live Score: Bharat Falls, Australia One Wicket Away
Another one bites the dust.
It will be harsh to put any blame on KS Bharat. The keeper, in fact, did well for 41-ball 23, but he goes for a big hit in the penultimate delivery of Nathan Lyon's over, and ends up giving a simple catch to the spinner.
Only one wicket separates Australia from the mace.
India vs Australia Live Score: Australia Victorious
ALL OUT!
That's the game done for India, that's the four-fer secured for Nathan Lyon, and most importantly, that's the mace bagged for the Australian cricket team.
This has been as dominating a performance as they would have hoped for, considering this was a final match. After scoring 469 runs in the first innings, wherein both Travis Head and Steve Smith struck centuries, the Aussies restricted India to a meagre total of 296 runs.
The batting was not up to the mark in the second innings, with Australia declaring at 270/8, but they came up with a scintillating bowling display yet again, calling curtains to India's innings at 234 runs.
For the Indians, it will be time to go back to the drawing room. It is their second consecutive defeat in a World Test Championship final, and their decade-long wait for an ICC trophy will be prolonged even further.
Questions are bound to be raised on every aspect of the Indian team, including their decision to bat first, and also the call to leave out the number one Test bowler, Ravichandran Ashwin. Moreover, the batting approach was questionable too, with the team losing seven wickets in 71 runs today.
If you have stuck with us through these five days, accept our gratitude. It has been a difficult watch for the majority. but the game did have a few entertaining twists. The Indian cricket will now enjoy a long break before a bilateral series against West Indies, which will be followed by two important tournaments – the Asia Cup and the World Cup. Like always, we will be bringing you live updates from all of those competitions and series. Till then, take care!