India suffered a crushing defeat against Australia in the Boxing Day Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, losing by a significant margin of 184 runs while chasing a daunting target of 340. The defeat highlighted several tactical and performance-related challenges faced by the Indian team, as captain Rohit Sharma addressed in his post-match comments.
Rohit revealed that India had intended to chase the runs on the final day, a decision that raised eyebrows given the difficult conditions on the MCG pitch. The track offered prodigious seam movement on Days 4 and 5, making run-scoring a challenging task. Additionally, history was against India; no team in the last 96 years has successfully chased a target of over 300 runs at the MCG, with Australia maintaining an undefeated record in their last three matches at the venue.
In the post-match presentation, Rohit acknowledged the uphill battle, stating, “We knew 340 wasn’t going to be easy. We tried to set a platform and keep wickets in hand for the last two sessions, but they bowled perfectly as well. We wanted to go for the target, but we didn’t set the platform from our side. There are ways to win games, and we fell short in finding those ways.”
Rohit pointed to key moments where India faltered, particularly their inability to capitalize on advantageous positions. Despite having Australia at 90/6 at one stage, India allowed a critical last-wicket partnership to shift the momentum. Rohit reflected on the team's effort, saying, “It is pretty disappointing. It’s not that we went in with the intent of giving up the fight. We wanted to fight till the end, and unfortunately, we couldn’t do it. If you look at the overall Test match, we had our chances, but we didn’t take them.”
Former head coach Ravi Shastri echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the critical moments when the game slipped away from India. According to Shastri, the early dismissals of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the morning session set the tone for the day, leaving India struggling at 33/3 by lunch. Although Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal steadied the innings briefly, Pant’s dismissal by Travis Head after tea marked the turning point. “That was the opening they [Australia] were looking for,” Shastri explained.
India’s batting collapsed dramatically after Pant’s departure. From a relatively steady 121/4, the team was bowled out for just 155 in a span of 20 overs, underlining their inability to handle pressure on a deteriorating pitch.
With this loss, India trails 1-2 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as they head into the fifth and final Test match of the series in Sydney, starting on January 3. The team will need to regroup quickly and address their shortcomings if they hope to level the series and retain the trophy.
