India lost the fourth Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) test by 184 runs, which enabled Australia to take a 2-1 lead in 5 match series. India’s chances to qualify for World Test Champions have also become narrow.
The Whole Story of the Match
Australia’s dominant victory in Melbourne drastically reduced India’s chances of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s. Australia set a difficult target of 340 runs for India on the final day. India failed to reach this mark, being knocked out for 155 in the 80th over. The Australian bowlers had some impressive spells, contributing to India’s collapse. Even though a razor-thin margin settled the game, Australia trounced India in every area. A stronger second-innings performance followed India’s troubles in the first innings at the MCG.
India’s pace attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, put Australia under pressure, reducing them to 91/6. However, dropped catches and missed opportunities allowed Australia to recover. India’s chances of limiting Australia’s lead to 250 runs faded. Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland’s 61-run partnership strengthened Australia’s advantage. This collaboration ultimately established a 340-run target for India. India’s batting lineup struggled to deal with Australia’s bowling attack, resulting in a significant setback. This setback puts India in a dangerous position for the rest of the series and casts doubt on their qualification for the World Test Championship final.
Criticism of Team India
Amid mounting criticism from all corners, especially for the debacle of Senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, it has come to light that Team India’s Coach Gautam Gambhir had advocated in favour of India’s dependable wall, Chesteshwar Pujara, ahead of the BGT management deliberation.
According to reports, the new Indian Coach, Gautam Gambhir, wanted Cheteshwar Pujara in Team India’s BGT squad for the Australia tour but was turned down by selectors. The Indian batting side, especially the top order, has poorly collapsed during the whole series, putting extra pressure on the middle and lower middle order. Indian team has felt the absence of Cheteshwar Pujara as an open batter, and fans have felt its effect on the series.
The media, great players, and fans have started questioning the team’s performance, especially the performance of two senior players, Captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Captain Rohit Sharma failed to behave aggressively in field placement. The field placement was very defensive when Nathon Lion was on the crease. Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland’s resilient 50-run partnership for the final wicket frustrated India, extending Australia’s lead to over 300 runs on day four of the Boxing Day Test, putting psychological pressure on the team.
This defensive attitude, followed by a lousy batting performance from the captain, has put India on the back foot. Once called the best batter and run machine, Virat Kohli failed to deliver his part in the top order. The skipper repeatedly makes the same mistake by going for a cover drive over an outside off-stump ball.
The defeat in the boxing test is a reality check for the Indian cricket team and also for the senior players like Rohit and Virat. Speculations have been raised about the retirement of these two skippers. The question has been raised on selectors, coaches, senior players in the team, and the whole management.
Overall, the team performance was below average, with batting, especially top order and fielding, especially during the second innings, nearly worst. The bowling performance under the leadership of Jusprit Bumrah saved India from losing the honour.
