AHEDABAD: India qualified for the World Test Championship (WTC) final and clinched the Border Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth consecutive time after the fourth and final match against Australia ended in a drab draw, in Ahemdabad on March 13.

India's spot in the WTC final against Australia was locked before the postlunch session when Sri Lanka lost the Christchurch Test to New Zealand by two wickets . It was a 'Memorable Monday' for India as a country in both performing arts and sports with 'RRR's song 'Natu Natu' getting the Oscar for the best song and Elephant Whisperers winning the 'Best Documentary Award'.By the afternoon, cricket added to the list of global accomplishments and now Rohit Sharma would love to break the decade-long ICC Trophy jinx. Draw was Only Result Possible With a featherbed of a track on offer.

For Australia, it was important that their batters made the best use of the flat surface without being under pressure as they had already qualified for the WTC final.Travis Head (90 off 163 balls) will certainly put pressure on David Warner when he comes back while Marnus Labuschagne (63 not out, 213 balls) also did well. The Indian team could feel chuffed after back-toback WTC final qualification but head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Sharma would know well that Australia will be a different proposition in the final where the track will certainly not aid the Indian spinners like it did in the first three Tests at home.

An Australian attack, comprising Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, skipper Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon on an early June English track, could prove to be a handful but India have won two series against this attack in Australia. In England, India will have to play with a single spinner and that will be allrounder Jadeja if he remains injury free. But not having Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant will hurt them in England way more than it would have in Indian conditions where spinners did bulk of the job in favourable conditions.

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