Australia ended India’s decade-long dominance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, cruising to a six-wicket victory in the final Test in Sydney to win the series 3-1. The win marked Australia’s first series triumph over India in ten years and secured their place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa at Lord’s in June.

Chasing 162 for victory, Usman Khawaja anchored the innings with a steady 41 at the top before Travis Head (34*) and debutant Beau Webster (39*) saw Australia home in just 27 overs. Prasidh Krishna (3/65) and Mohammed Siraj (1/69) picked up wickets for India but could not sustain the pressure, making it an easy chase for the hosts.

Earlier in the day, India were bundled out for just 157 runs in their second innings. Rishabh Pant’s brave 61 was the only bright spot in a disappointing batting display. Scott Boland bowled a spectacular spell, claiming 6/45, with captain Pat Cummins adding 3/44 to dismiss India in 40 overs. Reflecting on his performance, Boland said: “Winning 3-1 against India has been a long time coming. I’m happy playing whenever I can, and the last few weeks have been amazing.”

Jasprit Bumrah, who was named Player of the Series for his remarkable 32 wickets, was unable to play in the last innings due to back spasms, leaving a clear void in India’s attack. A disappointed Bumrah admitted: “A bit frustrating but sometimes you have to respect your body. This series was hard-fought and even though we didn’t win, the youngsters gained a lot of experience.”

Australian captain Pat Cummins praised his team’s effort, saying: “Unreal. Few of us didn’t have this Trophy. It’s been a special series. Beating India forced us to step up, and everyone delivered. This will be one of my favorite test series.”

The loss dashed India’s hopes of reaching the WTC final as they finished third with a PCT of 50.00. The loss also exposed India’s over-reliance on Bumrah and their batting weaknesses, and raised questions about the team’s future strategy.