Match overview
Australia Cricket beat India Cricket by 6 wickets in the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 3 January 2025. India won the toss and chose to bat, but were dismissed for 185 in their first innings, a total well below the venue's average of 224. Australia replied with 181, trailing by just 4 runs. Scott Boland then ran through India's second innings, helping dismiss the visitors for 157 to leave Australia chasing 162. They got there with 4 wickets in hand, Boland finishing the match with 10 wickets for 76 runs.
Boland's performance was the story of the match. His match figures of 10/76 from 36.8 overs kept India under relentless pressure. With the first innings lead negligible and the target well within reach on a surface that the Australian top order know well, the result turned on India's inability to build a substantial second innings.
In the series context, both sides had traded results heading into Sydney. India held victories at Bellerive Oval and Carrara Oval earlier in the summer, whilst Australia had hit back at the MCG. The SCG Test settled the matter in Australia's favour.
Venue and conditions
The Sydney Cricket Ground has been a Test venue for well over a century, accumulating 162 matches in our records. The average first-innings score here is 224, which makes India's 185 and Australia's 181 low totals by the ground's standards. Both attacks exploited conditions more effectively than either batting unit managed to counter them.
The SCG pitch traditionally offers something to seamers early, particularly with lateral movement, before flattening out for middle-order batters. As the match progresses into days four and five, spin tends to find purchase. Boland's seam work and Lyon's off-spin are ideally suited to the surface across a full match. The ground's chase success rate of 47 per cent across its Test history reflects how competitive fourth-innings pursuits tend to be here. Australia's 162-target was near the lower end of what chasing sides face, which made a 6-wicket win feel like a relatively comfortable outcome by Sydney standards.
The toss has historically held less significance than at some venues: teams batting first win roughly 53 per cent of the time based on the toss-field rate. India's decision to bat first was reasonable, but their inability to reach the venue average cost them the match.
How to watch
Test cricket between Australia and India is broadcast live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Cricket. Matches are available via satellite subscription, the Sky Go app, and a NOW TV day or month pass for those without a full Sky subscription. Given the Sydney time zone, play typically begins at midnight or 1 a.m. UK time during the Australian summer, so many UK viewers follow via the app or catch up on highlights.
BBC Test Match Special provides live radio commentary on every Test match involving England, and typically covers high-profile series such as Australia vs India on long-wave and online via BBC Sounds. For a five-day Test, schedules and session times are published on the BBC Sport website before each match.
Recent form
India's form heading into the SCG Test was patchy within this very series. They registered wins at Carrara Oval and Bellerive Oval during 2024-25 but lost twice to Australia and had a no-result in the mix. Against South Africa before the Australia tour, they recorded a win, suggesting their squad had quality but struggled to replicate it consistently against Australia's attack.
Australia's form told a similar story from the other side. They had wins over India at the MCG and in an earlier fixture, alongside a no-result, plus a win over Pakistan. Three wins from their last five results gave them the stronger footing heading into Sydney. Boland's performance at the SCG proved the difference, and Australia's next Test assignment will begin with the momentum of a series win firmly behind them.
