India vs Australia LIVE: Cricket World Cup final reaction after Travis Head century leads Aussies to victory
Australia stunned hosts India to win the Cricket World Cup final by six wickets in Ahmedabad
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Australia won a record-extending sixth World Cup title after opener Travis Head smashed a magnificent century to fashion their six-wicket victory in Sunday’s final against the tournament’s form team India.
Put into bat, India rode battling half-centuries by KL Rahul and Virat Kohli to post a below-par 240 all out in exactly 50 overs at a packed Narendra Modi Stadium.
Australia suffered a top-order wobble of their own but Head’s 137 off 120 balls saw them romp home with seven overs to spare in a match that never reached great heights.
Around 93,000 predominantly Indian fans sat mostly in deathly silence as the home team, who had won 10 matches in a row to make the final, succumbed to their first loss of the tournament
Relive all the match action and reaction below:
Wicket! KL Rahul out for 66! ct Inglis b Starc India 203-6
Starc has ball in hand, he has three left and India have nine to set the total in this Cricket World Cup...he starts with two wides and the hosts will take every run that comes.
The crowd has just quietened, there’s a lot of anxious faces, the flags are not waving, and there is a lot of worry about whether the total will be competitive.
India came out flying, and while Rohit Sharma was at the crease a score of 300 looked easy, but when him and Virat Kohli were out the runs have dried up.
And KL Rahul is out for 66! He has played a well-timed innings of 66 from 107, that was an absolutely stunning delivery from Starc, it swung late and nipped off the seam.
India 200-5 (41) KL Rahul 66, Suryakumar 9, Zampa 0-42 (9)
Zampa will bowl his 9th, India are still content to play it around for singles. KL Rahul pulls out the sweep shot but just cannot find the boundary.
India are inching towards 200 here.
Just three runs from the over, and India will have to accelerate at some point.
India 197-5 (40) KL Rahul 64, Suryakumar 8, Hazlewood 1-48 (8)
Hazlewood will bowl his eighth. There is not a long of reverse swing, but there is a hint and that might play a part in the final part of this innings, we’re into the last 10 overs now.
India 192-5 (39) KL Rahul 61, Suryakumar 6, Zampa 0-39 (8)
Another bowling change and it will be Zampa back on to bowl. KL Rahul is looking for the boundary, it has been a long time, almost an hour...
KL Rahul moves into the 60s, the turn is increasing...and there is the boundary, it comes off the bat of Yadav, but it has got the crowd up and on their feet.
India 182-5 (38) KL Rahul 58, Suryakumar 1, Hazlewood 1-43 (7)
After the breakthrough in the last ball Hazlewood will have another over here.
Just three runs from the over, and we’re nearing the last 10, India will have to accelerate at some point, but that last wicket has definitely had an impact.
71 balls since the last boundary...
India 179-5 (37) KL Rahul 56, Suryakumar 0, Maxwell 1-35 (6)
Maxwell is back into the attack after Hazlewood secured that breakthrough.
Suryakumar Yadav is the new batter.
There’s a stumping check...but the batter did not move.
Just the one run from the over.
Wicket! Jadeja out for 9! ct Inglis b Hazlewood India 178-5
Australia return to the reliable Josh Hazlewood, but there’s some overthrows and that’s a sign that things aren’t quite working for Australia. There was a hint of reverse swing however.
Another diving stop on the ring, this time from Labuschagne, but it leads to another overthrow, that’s poor from Australia who have been exceptional in the field.
The overthrows mean five runs have come from the first three balls of the over. Australia go upstairs, only Steve Smith seems to have heard anything...
But there was no spike on ultra edge and Jadeja survives...but he only lasts just one more ball.
The next one is edged through to the keeper and Jadeja is out for 9!
KL Rahul 50! India 173-5 (35) KL Rahul 50, Jadeja 9, Starc 1-40 (7)
Starc will bowl his 7th over here, again it’s just being knocked around for singles. KL Rahul is closing in on a half century of his own however.
The main question is how much impact will the dew have in the second innings?
KL Rahul has his half century, it’s well-earned, his second in the tournament and it has come from 86 balls.
India 169-4 (34) KL Rahul 48, Jadeja 7, Head 0-4 (2)
Australia have kept the bowlers rotating quite consistently, not allowing the batters to settle against anyone.
Head’s over went for four runs.
India 165-4 (33) KL Rahul 47, Jadeja 6, Starc 1-35 (6)
Mitchell Starc is back into the attack, will the ball reverse already?
The run rate is just diminishing slightly, and despite the explosive start is just over five an over.
KL Rahul is closing in on his half century, but he might have to score a lot more than that to give India a solid total.
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