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:
Australia 51-3 (9) Labuschagne 0, Head 10, Bumrah 2-21 (5), target 241
Labuschagne and Head have plenty have time to recover this Australian innings but they can’t afford to give away their wickets cheaply after those three early dismissals.
Four byes after some poor keeping from Rahul is the only runs off the over.
Australia 47-3 (8) Labuschagne 0, Head 10, Shami 1-24 (4), target 241
Wow. The replays for Smith’s dismissal have just come up on screen and the impact was outside the line of off stump. Had he reviewed the decision, he would still be at the crease. How big a moment could that be?
Another maiden over from India. They are right on top now.
WICKET! Smith lbw b Bumrah 4 (Australia 47-3)
India have another! Smith got off the mark with a four but Bumrah comes firing back and gets him LBW!
It’s an off-cutter from the Indian quick and it deceives Smith completely for line. The Aussie batter walks off and his side are in deep trouble now at the end of the seventh over.
Labuschagne the new man - Australia 47-3.
Australia 42-2 (6) Smith 0, Head 9, Shami 1-24 (3), target 241
Shami has been superb to the left-handers this tournament and he starts well in this over, wrapping the pads of Head with the first ball. Big appeals but it’s heading down the leg side.
Another tidy over from India, with just one run off that. Perhaps Head and Smith will look to dig in and consolidate after that frenetic start.
Australia 41-2 (5) Smith 0, Head 8, Bumrah 1-16 (3), target 241
A wicket maiden for Bumrah who has been right back at his best after their sloppy first over.
WICKET! Marsh c KL Rahul b Bumrah 15 (Aus 41-2)
Another one falls for Australia! It’s not Bumrah’s finest delivery but it gets the bottom edge of Marsh who just threw his hands at that one.
He’d looked positive had the Aussie number three, but he’s back in the shed now and India have their second breakthrough inside the powerplay.
Australia 41-1 (4) Marsh 15, Head 8, Shami 1-23 (2), target 241
Three more wides down the leg side from Shami to start his second over. Far more of them than you would expect from him early on.
He corrects his line but gets his length run and Marsh climbs into it and smashes it for six! A superb shot that should settle any nerves.
Another good over for Australia. India started brightly in their innings too - when scoring was easier - and evidently, the Aussies intend to do the same.
Australia 29-1 (3) Marsh 5, Head 8, Bumrah 0-16 (2), target 241
Far better from Bumrah this over. He almost encourages a faint edge out of Marsh before threatening Head with a similar precision and slight movement off the surface.
Just one off the over.
Australia 28-1 (2) Marsh 5, Head 8, Shami 1-11 (1), target 241
Goodness me, what a chaotic start to this chase! Marsh is the new man and almost chops on with his first ball. But then Shami is loose, perhaps too pumped up from the crowd, as he sends down five wides before a loose delivery which Marsh smashes away to the boundary ropes.
13 runs for Australia but the wicket of Warner for India.
WICKET! Warner 7 c Kohli b Shami (Australia 16-1)
Rohit turns to his main man and it pays dividends straight away!
Warner reaches for one out wide and this time his edge carries through to Kohli in the slips. The Aussie departs and Shami has the early breakthrough that India needed.
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