Boland breaks India's resistance as Australia claim WTC title
Always ahead of India in the final, they sealed the title with seven wickets in the first session of day five
07/06Result
Final, ICC World Test Championship at London, Jun 7-11 2023
-
![Australia]( "Australia")
469 & 270/8d -
![India]( "India")
296 & 234 (63.3 ov)
Player of the Match
07/06Result
Final, ICC World Test Championship at London, Jun 7-11 2023
-
![Australia]( "Australia")
469 & 270/8d -
![India]( "India")
296 & 234 (63.3 ov)
Player of the Match
Day 5
Rohit: 'There was no lapse of concentration; we wanted to bat in a different way'
India captain wants his batters to play with freedom but deliver more on the big stage, following their repeated global-event missteps
Cummins: 'Test matches are our favourite format. This win has got to be right up there'
Cummins, Steven Smith, David Warner and Mitchell Starc are now the first all-format champions in the men's game
Stats - Australia's spotless WTC campaign
Khawaja, Smith, Labuschagne and Head scored the bulk of runs, while Boland took everyone by surprise
Rahul Dravid rues India's first-day no-show with the ball
The India coach thinks his side conceded too much ground too quickly on day one, putting them irreversibly behind in their bid to secure the Test mace
'Why cannot it be March?' - Rohit questions WTC final scheduling and venue
India captain also added his voice to calls for the final to be played as a best-of-three series
'Boland is now my favourite player' - Cummins and Australia savour WTC win
"The way this group has played for the last two years - or probably longer - is a credit to everyone," Mitchell Starc says
Day 4
Kohli, Rahane keep India alive in hunt of 444
Earlier, Carey's 66* allowed Australia to declare on 270 for 8
Alex Carey packs away reverse-sweep, keeps Australia on course
Wicketkeeper's most-productive Test signals timely return to form
Shubman Gill facepalms TV umpire's decision in Cameron Green's favour
Green "definitely" thought he caught it, while Mohammed Shami and Alex Carey also stand on opposing sides of the raging debate
Gill caught by Green: clean or not?
Former players weigh in on the controversial dismissal at The Oval
India have belief, Australia ready for the hard yards
Another India-Australia fifth-day epic beckons with the World Test Championship on the line
Day 3
Australia still on top but Rahane and Thakur lead India's resistance
India began each session of day three knowing the best they could do was stay alive, and they did just that. Still, Australia's grip had tightened by stumps
Ball-by-ball: How Rahane and Thakur rode their luck against Cummins and Co
Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur put together a 109-run stand, enjoying their fair share of good fortune along the way
Postcard from a morning in hell: Boland and Cummins unleash on India
Their fast-bowling or math tests, what would you rather face before you've even rubbed the sleep from your eyes?
Ajinkya Rahane, India's quiet hero
With a blend of composure, calmness, skills and courage, he once again helped the side live to fight another day
Day 2
Seamers build on Steven Smith's ton to give Australia control
Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja briefly looked like they might bail India out, but Nathan Lyon's late strike made it Australia's day yet again
Steven Smith on David Warner's new batting guard: 'I nearly fell into it'
Unexpected appearance of a "big hole" in crease not enough to throw Smith off his stride
Steven Smith adds new chapter to his Oval love affair
With three centuries in four appearances, this is Smith's favourite away ground. And on the big occasion, he didn't disappoint
India fail Boland and Co's not-so-simple inquisition
To break it down, cricket is about a bowler asking a question and a batter responding. More often than not, India's batters did not have the right answers at The Oval
Test hundreds in England: Smith catches up with Steve Waugh
Stats highlights from Australia's first innings in the World Test Championship final against India at The Oval
Day 1
Travis Head and Steven Smith thoroughly dominate India on day one
India won the toss but not much else through three challenging sessions at The Oval
India squander promising start as bowling plans go awry
A puzzling short-ball strategy let Australia off the hook as the bowlers lacked any real discipline or potency
WTC final: Have India made a mistake in leaving out R Ashwin?
Ricky Ponting, Sanjay Manjrekar and Brad Haddin all think so, citing Ashwin's record against Australia and the nature of The Oval track
Travis Head: Hopefully I don't get dropped too much in the future
The batter says he wasn't fussed about being left out of the XI in India after making a terrific hundred in the WTC final
Travis Head innings highlights all you thought you knew - and didn't - about this Aussie
Gilchrist comparisons are sacrilege at the best of times, but evocations can't be helped
Sage-like Rohit Sharma can cement his Test legacy at The Oval
The WTC final will be his 50th Test, and winning it might just elevate him alongside the finest of India's captains
Others
Gavaskar defends 'loyal servant' Pujara: 'Why make him the scapegoat for our batting failures?'
"I simply don't understand, what is the criteria of dropping him and keeping the others who failed?"
Ashwin sees WTC final omission as 'stumbling block', not 'setback'
The top-ranked Test bowler says he is a lot more "chilled" and "relaxed" at this stage of his life
Stump Mic: Dissecting the WTC final
Another title for Australia, but what next for India?
Labuschagne, Smith, Head occupy top three spots in ICC Test batters' rankings
After nearly 39 years, three batters from the same team have occupied the top three places in the Test rankings
How often has a Test innings started with one captain bowling to the other?
And how many Test batters have converted their last two Test centuries into doubles?
Shastri: You've got to miss IPL to have 20 days of prep for WTC final
Rohit had said India would have done better against Australia if they'd had '20-25 days' to prepare
Shubman Gill fined for criticism of TV umpire's decision
India and Australia have been hit with big fines for maintaining slow over-rates during WTC final
Win toss, bat first? Not necessarily, say Australia
Australia have shown an indication to bowl, while England, too, love a run chase. Could we be in for a bowl-first Ashes?
What does Australia's WTC win mean for the Ashes?
Smith's ominous form, Boland's metronomic accuracy augur well for the side as they dust off the cobwebs in style
'We're still buzzing' - Cummins hails Australia's legacy-defining World Cup show
"Every half an hour or so you kind of remember that you just won a World Cup and get excited all over again"
Scott Boland and the problem Australia like to have
Cummins confirmed Hazlewood will be fit for the first Ashes Test, which leaves Australia with a difficult decision to make over the next few days
Australia leave UK with the mace and the urn, but no gold star
Winning Tests in England isn't easy. Australia won three and lost two out of six. But if "Ashes tend to define eras or legacies", Cummins' team fell short
Rohit on Green's low catch: 'The third umpire should have seen more replays'
Pat Cummins, however, was happy with the verdict of third umpire Kettleborough, whom he called "probably the best umpire in the world"
Australia add three-time Ashes-winning coach Andy Flower to backroom staff
"Hopefully he doesn't give too many secrets away to the Aussies," Stuart Broad jokes
Pat Cummins 'aiming to play all six' Tests over English summer
After waiting over half a decade between his first and second Tests, Cummins will play his 50th in the WTC final
India face a rehash of the R Ashwin debate in WTC final
Rohit Sharma says they will only take a call after seeing The Oval pitch on day one
Dukes-ready Boland could be the perfect man for English conditions
Boland is very worthy of every opportunity he gets, and feels ideally suited for the green-tinged pitch at The Oval
Cummins happy to be 'underdone than overdone'; 'getting mentally ready' key for Rohit
Are the Indians better prepared because they are coming off the IPL, or will the long break for many of the Australians benefit them?
ICC preps back-up pitch for WTC final in case of protestor disruption
Security on alert for India-Australia Test after recent interventions by Just Stop Oil
What India, England and Australia can learn from MS Dhoni as a big Test summer begins
He is the poster boy for all formats of cricket. If only we could have watched him turn out for the WTC final at The Oval
Flying under the radar, Travis Head could play decisive hand for Australia in England
Back in the middle order after a brief spell at the top, the left-hander can attack even in difficult situations
WTC final FAQs: Dukes ball, reserve day, a first-of-its-kind Oval Test, and more
Also, is the weather likely to hold up? Here's everything you need to know about the showpiece event's final between India and Australia
Two golden generations to have their last shot at a Test world title
This final feels especially weighty, since it pits the two best teams not just of Test cricket's last two years but arguably of its last decade
