IND vs AUS 2023: Australia Crushes India in Indore Test To Confirm WTC Final Spot
India leads the series 2-1 with one match remaining despite nine wickets loss in the third Test.
Australia, on Friday (March 3) clinched a spot in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final by defeating India by nine wickets in the third Test at Indore. Despite the loss, India leads the series 2-1 with one match remaining.
How did the match pan out?
India’s decision to bat first on a spin-friendly pitch proved to be a disaster, as they were dismissed for just 109 runs in 33.2 overs. None of their batters were able to make a substantial score, failing to breach the 30-run mark.
Australia dominated the first innings, amassing 197 runs on the board to take an 88-run lead. Usman Khawaja was the standout performer with a gritty 60-run inning, while Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne chipped in with 26 and 31 runs respectively.
India’s batting woes continued in their second innings, as they could only muster a lead of 75 runs after scoring 163 runs in 60.3 overs. Cheteshwar Pujara was the standout performer with 59 runs from 142 balls, while Shreyas Iyer’s quickfire 26 off 27 balls was the only other notable contribution from the Indian batting lineup.
Australia made light work of the target on the third day, chasing it down in just 18.5 overs with the loss of only one wicket. Travis Head remained unbeaten on 49 runs, while Marnus Labuschagne contributed 29 runs to the cause.
What are India’s Chances in the WTC final?
The onus is now on India to win their final match of the series to secure a place in the WTC final alongside Australia without relying on Sri Lanka’s performance in the upcoming series against New Zealand.
With a victory in Ahmedabad, Rohit Sharma’s men can end the series with a PCT of 62.5, which should be enough to keep Sri Lanka at bay. Sri Lanka has a chance to increase its PCT to 61.11 during their tour of New Zealand, which begins on March 9.
