Ind vs Aus, 3rd Test: Australia beat India by 9 wickets, qualify for WTC final

There was no turning back in the tale as Australia turned the tables on India with an emphatic nine-wicket win in the third Test, which offered poor turns and variable bounce, while confirming their place in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) . Indore Friday. The match was over in less than two days before Travis Head (49 not out) and Marnus Labuschagne (28 not out) powered Australia home in 18.5 overs. Wins in India are rare for visiting teams and it was no different for Australia, who registered their first win on Indian soil in six years.

For India, it was only their third defeat in the last 10 years and they will need to rework their plans ahead of the final Test starting March 9 in Ahmedabad. It remains to be seen if India’s preference for spin-friendly pitches changes and the home side’s batsmen struggle badly to deal with the challenging conditions.

India could only manage 109 and 163 runs in their two innings.

Judging by the way Australia collapsed in the second innings in Nagpur and Delhi, “anything” was on the cards on Friday morning. Chasing 76, Australia were favorites but R Ashwin raised hopes of a miracle when he dismissed Usman Khawaja on the second ball of the day.

The ball turned sharply and went to the wicketkeeper on the way. The wicket increased the nervousness in the Australian dressing room.

Labuschagne eased those nerves by square cutting Ravindra Jadeja for his first boundary of the day.

Labuschagne and Head, who are known for their aggressive approach, were both looking to defend in the first 10 overs which saw Australia reeling at 13 for one.

However, the momentum shifted decisively in Australia’s favor after the change of ball after the 10th over.

Ashwin was not happy even after changing the ball and it reflected in his bowling. Head hit the star Indian spinner for a four and a six over mid-on in the 11th over as the premier spinner was guilty of bowling too much.

Head attacked Jadeja in the next over, hitting a direct hit over the bowler’s head, and this also gave confidence to Labuschagne, who went for the sweep in the same over and finished with 35 for one in 12 overs.

After that, there was no looking back for the Australian pair who had gained enough confidence in their shots.

Labuschagne scored the winning runs, a four over mid-wicket to complete a memorable victory.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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