Australia claim maiden Test series win over India since 2015
What's the story
Australia have clinched the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after the wait of 10 long years.
They beat India by six wickets in the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) to record a 3-1 triumph.
It has been a remarkable comeback from the hosts after losing the series opener.
Meanwile, Scott Boland was Australia's standout performer at SCG, having taken 10 wickets in the game.
Summary
How did the game pan out?
India were bundled out for a paltry 185 on Day 1 with Boland taking four wickets.
The Aussies managed 181/10 in response as debutant Beau Webster scored a fifty. Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj snared three wickets apiece.
A fiery 61 from Rishabh Pant meant India managed 157/10 in their second outing. Boland took six wickets.
Chasing 162, the Aussies lost three early wickets but they eventually crossed the line in the second session of Day 3.
Information
Historic win for Australia
As mentioned, this was Australia's maiden Test series win over India since 2015. In this period, India recorded four Test series triumphs against the Aussies, including two Down Under. Meanwhile, this win also means Australia have sealed a berth in the 2025 ICC World Test Championship final, where they will face South Africa.
Boland
50 Test scalps for Boland
Boland was the pick of the Aussie bowlers in both innings, claiming 4/31 and 6/45.
Playing his 13th Test, Boland has raced to 56 wickets, as per ESPNcricinfo. The 35-year-old claimed his second Test fifer and maiden match 10-wicket haul.
His bowling average of 17.66 is the best among Australian bowlers to have scalped 50 or more Test wickets in the last 80 years.
21 of his scalps have come in BGT 2024-25 at 13.19.
Smith
Smith accomplishes 5,000 Test runs at home
Smith, who made scores worth 33 and 4 in the game, went past 5,000 Test runs at home.
As per ESPNcricinfo, Smith has racked up 5,015 runs from 58 home Tests at an incredible average of 60-plus.
He is now just one run short of completing 10,000 runs in Test cricket.
Smith is set to become only the fourth Australian player to achieve the feat.
Webster
Debut fifty for Webster
Webster departed for 57 off 105 balls in Australia's first innings.
The all-rounder was 31 years and 33 days old at the time of his debut, becoming the third oldest Aussie to score a debut Test fifty since 2000.
He further made a fiery 39* off 34 balls in his second outing
As per ESPNcricinfo, Webster recorded his 25th fifty in First-Class cricket as he has raced past 5,300 runs across 94 matches at an average of 37-plus.
Pant
Pant scripts history with breathtaking fifty
The third innings of the game saw Pant score the second-fastest half-century by an Indian.
The southpaw's explosive half-century came off just 29 balls.
This comes close to his own record of a half-century off 28 balls against Sri Lanka in 2022.
As per ESPNcricinfo, Pant also recorded the fastest Test fifty by a visiting batter in Australia.
Career
3,000 Test runs loading for Pant
Pant perished for 61 off 33 balls as he smoked six fours and four maximums.
This was his only fifty in BGT 2024-25 as he finished the series with 255 runs at 28.33.
Overall, Pant has raced to 2,948 runs from 43 matches at 42.11 (50s: 15, 100: 6).
The southpaw has managed 879 runs in 12 matches against Australia at 46.26 (50s: 3, 100: 1).
All of his runs against the Aussies have come Down Under.
DYK
Boland joins Murphy and Anderson
Boland dismissed Virat Kohli four times across five meetings in the BGT 2024-25.
The batter has managed just 28 runs off 68 balls in this battle. Meanwhile, Boland's compatriot Todd Murphy (2023) and former England pacer James Anderson (2014) are the only other bowlers to trap Kohli four times in a bilateral Test series.
Overall, Kohli became Boland's bunny for fifth time in Test cricket.
Siraj
Siraj gets to 100 Test wickets
The game saw Mohammed Siraj take his 100th wicket in Test cricket.
Siraj, who made his Test debut against Australia in 2020, recorded figures worth 3/51 and 1/69 in the SCG Test.
Having played 36 matches, the pacer has taken 100 wickets in 67 innings at an average of 30.61 and an economy rate of 3.47, as per ESPNcricinfo.
He has also claimed five-wicket hauls thrice in his career.
Cummins
First bowler to claim 200 WTC wickets
Cummins created history by becoming the first bowler to take 200 wickets in the WTC.
The Aussie skipper claimed figures worth 2/37 and 3/44 in the Sydney Test.
As per ESPNcricinfo, Cummins has raced to 200 wickets across 47 WTC games at 22.63.
His tally of nine WTC fifers is the fourth-most for any bowler (4W: 10).
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The Jasprit Bumrah factor
India's stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah, who took as many as 32 wickets in the series, did not bowl a single ball in the fourth innings due to back spasms. This was a major reason behind India's inability to defend the total. He bowled 10 overs in Australia's first innings and claimed two wickets.
Bumrah
32 wickets in the series for Bumrah
Although India lost the series to Australia 1-3, Bumrah's phenomenal performance was hard to miss.
He ended up as the highest wicket-taker with a stunning 32 wickets at an average of just over 13 (5W: 3).
He broke Bishan Singh Bedi's record for most wickets taken by an Indian bowler in a Test series played overseas.
Meanwhile, the pacer also matched Harbhajan Singh's record of most wickets in an India-Australia Test series.