Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin. (Photo Source: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Travis Head smashed 90 off 163 while Marnus Labuschagne remained unbeaten on 63 on the fifth and final day of the fourth Test match against India in Ahmedabad. With no result looking possible, players from both sides shook hands as the game ended up in a draw, with India winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth successive time with the same margin of 2-1.
Speaking about how the final day panned out, spinner R Ashwin dismissed Matthew Kuhnemann for just six. Head and Labuschagne then shared a 139-run stand before the latter got out for 63 (213) off the bowling of Axar Patel. With Labuschagne’s wicket, Axar reached the landmark of 50 wickets in the Test format.
The match finally ended in a stalemate with both teams also booking their tickets for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, which is set to take place at The Oval in London from June 7.
Earlier in the day, New Zealand’s memorable victory off the final ball of the game against Sri Lanka, which ensured India’s berth for the WTC final.
Meanwhile, for his outstanding knock of 186, Virat Kohli won the Player of the Match award while spin twins Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin bagged the Player of the Series award jointly. The latter picked up 25 wickets while Jadeja snared 22 scalps.
Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers from the 5th day of the 4th Test between India and Australia:
4 – India have now won four consecutive Border-Gavaskar Trophy series by the same margin of 2-1.
50 – Axar Patel reached the milestone of 50 wickets in Test cricket.
90 – Travis Head registered his score of 90 in an away/neutral Test innings. His previous best of 72 came against Pakistan in Dubai (DSC) in the year 2018.
24 – Marnus Labuschagne has now scored the second-most 50-plus scores (24) in World Test Championship (WTC) overall. He surpassed Babar Azam’s tally of 23 such scores. Joe Root tops the chart with 25 scores.
16 – Asian giants India have now won 16 successive Test series on home soil since 2013.
2 – India continued their good record in Ahmedabad. They have played 15 matches with six wins, seven draws, and just two losses at the venue.
10 – Virat Kohli has now won 10 Player of the Match awards in Tests, and is the joint-third highest with Anil Kumble. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid are at the top two spots for 14 and 11 awards, respectively.