Australia win World Test Championship final, defeating India by 209 runs

Australia won the final of the World Test Championship, defeating India by 209 runs on Sunday at the Oval in London.

Men in Blue were bowled out for 234 runs in their second innings on the fifth day of the match while chasing a target of 444 runs.

Victory meant Australia had now captured the one major men´s cricket title that had previously eluded them.

Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland were the chief destroyers for Australia in the second innings with four and three wickets, respectively.

Indian batter got starts but none of them were able to stay at the wicket for a long period of time. Rohit Sharma (43) Virat Kohli (49) and Ajinkya Rahane (46) were the prominent contributors for India.

All cricket logic was against India as they resumed on 164-3, needing a further 280 runs to reach what would be a record-breaking total, with the highest made by any side to win in the fourth innings in 146 years of Test history the West Indies´ 418-7 against Australia at St John´s in 2003.

However, Boland took two wickets in three balls, including the prize scalp of star batter Virat Kohli, in the first session of the final day.

Kohli had added just five runs to his overnight score when, on 49, his edged drive off a wide ball from Boland was brilliantly caught by Steve Smith, diving to his right at second slip.

Two balls later, Ravindra Jadeja fell for a duck, caught behind after nicking a superb Boland delivery that seamed away against the angle.

India lost their last seven wickets for the addition of just 70 runs as Australia completed a comprehensive victory.

Brief scores

Australia 1st Innings: 469 (T Head 163, S Smith 121; Mohammed Siraj 4-108)

India 1st Innings: 296 (A Rahane 89, S Thakur 51; P Cummins 3-83)

Australia 2nd Innings: 270-8 dec (A Carey 66 no; R Jadeja 3-58)

India 2nd Innings: 234 (N Lyon 4-41, S Boland 3-46)

Result: Australia won by 209 runs

— With additional input from AFP