India suffered a crushing 184-run defeat at the hands of Australia in the fourth Test at the MCG on Monday as star players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli faltered once again, raising questions over their future in the longest format.
Chasing a challenging target of 340, India crumbled for 155 in 79.1 overs, losing seven wickets for just 34 runs in the final session. Rohit (9 off 40 balls) and Kohli (5) struggled with both technical shortcomings and mental pressure. Australian captain Pat Cummins (3/28) and Scott Boland (3/39) bowled fine spells while Nathan Lyon (2/37) capitalised on the variable bounce and Mitchell Starc (1/25) dismissed Kohli.
Earlier, while an 88-run partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal (84) and Rishabh Pant gave India a ray of hope, Pant’s dismissal after a hard-fought 103-ball innings reflected India’s inability to capitalise on opportunities. “Quite disappointing. We wanted to fight but couldn’t,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
He acknowledged Australia’s persistence and the chances India missed. With this loss, Australia have taken a 2-1 lead in the series and India’s hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final for the third time in a row are now in jeopardy.
The defeat exposed the vulnerabilities in India’s batting lineup. Rohit’s overly defensive approach at the top and Kohli’s frequent off-stump problems have come under scrutiny. Despite his white-ball achievements, Kohli’s sensitivity to balls outside the off-stump continues to haunt him, while Rohit’s cautious start was thwarted by Pat Cummins, who dismissed him for the 10th time in Tests.
India’s lower-order collapse underlined the team’s struggle to handle pressure situations. A 10th-wicket partnership between Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon put the target beyond India’s reach.
Jasprit Bumrah took nine wickets and Nitish Reddy impressed with a brilliant century on the series opener, but there were other positives to take away from the match.
Coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar now face a big task as India go through a challenging transition period. With a poor top order and old players under scrutiny, India must find answers quickly to avoid further failures.
