Aus wins third Test against India in little over two days

Australia recorded an emphatic nine-wicket victory over India, winding up the third Test in little over two days to secure their place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final on a rank turner here on Friday. Travis Head (49) and Marnus Labuschagne (28) took the visitors past the finish line after they lost Usman Khawaja (0) in the very first over. The hosts were bowled out for 163 in their second innings, leaving Australia with a target of just 76 runs to record an immensely satisfying win after being hammered inside three days in the first two matches of the Border-Gavaskar trophy. One of the biggest architects of the Australian win is seasoned off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who grabbed eight wickets in the Indian second innings on day two of the match at Holkar Stadium. This is only India’s third loss in Tests at home in the last 10 years. Bowled out for 109 in their first innings, India did well to limit Australia to 197, conceding an 88-run lead. However, the Indian batters also failed to put up a fight in their second essay, as Lyon spun a web around them to return excellent figures of 8-64. India are leading the four-match series 2-1 after having won in Nagpur and New Delhi. Australia’s convincing nine-wicket triumph over India in the third Test has helped them book a place at this year’s ICC World Test Championship Final, but just who joins them in the decider remains wide open.