The Indian men’s cricket team, which ended as runners-up in the first two editions of the World Test Championship (WTC), has failed to qualify for the third final in a row. India’s chances of qualifying for the WTC 2025 final were dependent on the result of the fifth Test against Australia, which was played at Sydney Cricket Ground, but Jasprit Bumrah’s side failed to get the desired outcome, and as a result, it got knocked out.
India would have kept alive its hopes of finishing in the top two of the WTC 2023-25 points table and booking a place in the Lord’s final against South Africa had they managed to defeat Australia for the first time since 1978 in a Test match at SCG, but the visitors suffered a defeat by 6 wickets.
Australia, which sits at No. 1 position in the ICC Test rankings, chased down the target of 162 runs in 27 overs for the loss of 4 wickets. Sam Konstas, who made a flying start to his Test career by scoring 60 off 65 balls in the first innings at the MCG, scored 22 runs from 17 balls, and Usman Khawaja contributed 41 runs.
India missed the presence of Bumrah in the field during the third day’s play. Bumrah, who finished the series with 32 wickets, didn’t come out to bowl in the second innings due to back issues. The 31-year-old is dealing with a back spasm, and he underwent scans for the same on Saturday.
