Australia’s nine-wicket third test win against India secures spot in World Test Championship final

Australia have completed their dramatic turnaround in India to beat the hosts by nine wickets in Indore to secure their place in the ICC World Test Championship cricket final.

The Aussies went into the test match with David Warner (injury) and captain Pat Cummins (family illness), while Josh Hazlewood was also ruled out for the remainder of the series.

There was also enormous pressure on the Australians after they blew a chance to win in the second test.

However, the Australians, bolstered by the return of Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green, responded emphatically on day three to easily secure victory in Indore.

Nathan Lyon was the main destroyer with the ball at Holkar Cricket Stadium, taking 8-64 in the second innings on his way to 11 wickets for the match.

Travis Head was unbeaten at 49, while Marnus Labuschagne overcame some tricky bowling early in the second innings to finish 20 not out.

First-innings hero Usman Khawaja was bowled out for a second-ball duck on the second dig, leading to some nervous moments for the Aussies on dangerous ground.

However, head into the Indians game to knock down the modest target of 76.

Victory means Australia will surely play in the World Test Championship final at The Oval, London, from June 7-11.

It was the perfect way to end the Test for Head, who had been ruled out for the first Test before returning for the second Test in Delhi.

“It’s good to contribute,” he said.

‘Not everything is going to go your way and not everything is going to be smooth sailing.

“The vibe we’ve created means we can get on with the job and when the opportunity presented itself, I was ready enough to take it.”

Head said the message was simple heading into the third Test after a horrendous surrender in the second Test to hand over victory and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“Make sure we go out there and run the best we can in the early innings,” he said.

‘I felt we did exceptionally well.

“Obviously in the lead up to the Test match, when things are not going well, I think we went back very well to Sri Lanka and Pakistan and the plans we had set out in those conditions.”

‘Come here [it was about making sure] we were very clear.

“Obviously, there’s been a change in thinking about what we want to do and achieve, and everyone does it individually.”

‘Then to make sure that once it comes to the draw and it didn’t go the way we wanted, we executed it right.

“I think we did a fantastic job of recovering from what has been a bit of pressure in the first two tests.

Former Australian Test opener Matt Hayden praised Head for recovering from non-selection in the first Test to become the aggressor in the third Test.

“It’s amazing what happens when you show that attitude and intent,” Hayden said in a comment.

‘…That adjustment in mentality and within two overs [there are] 20 races [and] pop. This is very, very good hitting.

‘Travis Head almost should have been voted number one. He was brilliant last summer. Now show exactly why he chose you. Coming here for a great tour and not getting picked. Ridiculous.’

Indian captain Rohit Sharma said his batsman needed to show more courage on challenging ground.

“When you play on difficult courses, you have to be brave,” he says.

‘We allowed your players to bowl at a particular location, without taking any credits away from your players.

‘They kept challenging us, hitting their length.

“We were a bit behind and we didn’t adjust as we would have liked.”