‘Kya faida, jabki pata tha haarne waale hain’ – Fans react as WTC Final between India and Australia becomes most watched Test match in history

The World Test Championship final between India and Australia became the most-watched Test match in history. The official broadcaster of the match, Star Sports, recently revealed that the most anticipated Test match of the year was the most watched Test match ever. According to All BARC Data for 2+U+R, the ratings were 32% higher than the previous WTC Final in 2021 between India and New Zealand.

Notably, Australia registered a big victory to clinch the Test Mace after defeating India by aa big margin of 209 runs at the Oval, England on June 11th. Star Sports clocked 14.4 billion minutes of watch time, surpassing the billion minutes garnered by the previous edition in 2021 and the other matches in the history of Test cricket.

“We are proud to achieve yet another milestone for Cricket viewership with the World Test Championship Final ’23. The overwhelming response from fans is a testament to our relentless efforts to enhance accessibility to Cricket and foster a deeper passion for the game,” the Star Sports spokesperson was quoted as saying by Crictoday.

“Star Sports’ exceptional marketing campaigns, unparalleled coverage standards, and ground-breaking programming exemplify our unwavering mission to serve sports fans across the country. This record reaffirms our conviction in the growth potential of sports and marquee sporting properties on TV,” he further added.

Australia registered dominating victory to clinch the Test Mace

Talking about the match summary, Australia posted 469 runs in their first innings, powered by the centuries by Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith. Khawaja top scored with 163 runs off 174 balls, while Smith got out after scoring 121 runs off 268 balls. In reply, India were bowled out for 296 runs in their first innings with Ajinkya Rahane shining in his comeback test match. The 35-year-old got out after scoring 89 runs off 129 balls. He was also accompanied by Shardul Thakur who scored 51 runs off 109 balls.

Batting in the second innings, Australia declared 270 runs for the loss of 8 wickets, giving India a mammoth target of 444 runs to win. Alex Carey remained unbeaten on 66 runs off 105 balls. In reply, India were bundled out for just 234 runs and failed to clinch the Test mace in their second attempt. Virat Kohli top-scored with 49 runs off 78 balls.

Here’s how Twitter reacted: