- Indian captain Jasprit Bumrah is unable to bowl due to a back problem.
- Travis Head and Beau Webster chase down the visitors’ target of 162.
- Bumrah announced Player of the series with 32 wickets in five matches.
SYDNEY: Australia on Sunday chased down India’s target of 162 runs on day three to win the fifth Test and reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade.
Travis Head (34*) and debutant Beau Webster (39*) rallied over the line to secure the hosts a place in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June.
India captain Jasprit Bumrah was unable to play on Sunday due to a back problem, but fellow bowlers Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj kept the match on a knife’s edge by removing four Australian top-order players.
The match was played fast forward over the first two days with 15 wickets falling on Saturday, Australia removing four more in the first hour of Sunday morning to bowl out India for 157.
The track retained some excitement, Krishna standing in for Bumrah and returning opener Sam Konstas for 22, Marnus Labuschagne for six and Steve Smith for four before lunch.
Smith went weary, bowed, for 9,999 runs, followed shortly after the break by Usman Khawaja, who trailed Siraj by 41 minutes to leave Australia on 104-4.
The end of the topsy-turvy Test came as the momentum shifted towards the end, almost as an anti-climax to another huge crowd bathing in the sunshine at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Head and Webster got the job done with an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 58, the latter continuing his nerveless debut by hitting the winning runs with four successive overs.
“It’s unreal, it was an amazing series,” Australia captain Pat Cummins said.
He added: “I’m very proud. I absolutely love playing with these guys. It’s been a lot of fun along the way too.”
Meanwhile, Bumrah, who expressed his views on his inability to bowl, said: “It was a bit frustrating but sometimes you have to respect your body.”
“It was a great series. The whole series was good and we are still in the game today. Our young players will learn a lot of lessons for the future,” he noted.
Australia’s Scott Bolland, playing for the second successive Test as injury replacement for Josh Hazlewood, was named man of the match after finishing with figures of 6-45 in a 10-wicket match.
“The 3-1 win over India hasn’t happened for a while and it’s fantastic,” Boland said.