Australia Top WTC Table With Win Against India In 2nd Test

Australia surged to the top of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) standings after defeating India by 10 wickets in the second Test at Adelaide Oval. With this victory, Australia extended its unbeaten streak in day/night Tests at the venue to eight wins out of eight, and 12 wins out of 13 overall.

India, slipping to third in the standings, faced another setback under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, marking his fourth consecutive defeat as India's Test captain.

India won the toss and chose to bat first, but the Australian bowlers, led by Mitchell Starc (6/48), capitalized on the challenging pink-ball conditions. India's batting struggled, with only a 69-run partnership between KL Rahul (37) and Shubman Gill (31), and a valiant 42 from Nitish Kumar Reddy standing out. The team was dismissed for 180 runs, with Pat Cummins and Scott Boland taking two wickets each.

In response, Australia's second-wicket pair of Nathan McSweeney (39) and Marnus Labuschagne (64) laid the foundation for Travis Head’s commanding innings of 140 from 141 balls, including 17 fours and four sixes. His century powered Australia to a total of 337 runs, giving them a 157-run lead.

Jasprit Bumrah (4/61) and Mohammed Siraj (4/98) were India's top bowlers, while Ravichandran Ashwin and Nitish Kumar Reddy claimed a wicket each.

India's second innings began poorly, as the top-order failed to capitalize on promising starts. Yashasvi Jaiswal (24), Gill (28), and the out-of-form KL Rahul (7) and Virat Kohli (11) left India at 128/5 by the end of day two. On day three, Rishabh Pant was dismissed for 28, and India collapsed to 175 all out in just 36.5 overs, leaving Australia with a target of just 19 runs.

Pat Cummins (5/67) led the way with a five-wicket haul, his eighth as captain, while Boland (3/51) and Starc (2/60) also impressed.

Australia’s chase was swift and uncomplicated, with Usman Khawaja (10*) and McSweeney (9*) reaching the target in just 3.2 overs to secure a comfortable win.