New Delhi: Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has called out the senior players for failing to contribute, particularly in the top-order, after the Rohit Sharma-led side faced defeat in the fourth Test in Melbourne. Australia completed a convincing 184-run victory on the final day of the Boxing-Day Test to take a 2-1 lead in the five-Test series.
India were set a herculean task of chasing 340 runs after Australia’s last pair of Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland grinded them with the impetus 61-run partnership pushing this visitors on the psychological block.
Indian top order fails to deliver in MCG chase
The Indian top order comprising Rohit Sharma (9), KL Rahul (0), and Virat Kohli (5) couldn’t put on a decent start which would have put them to set the tone for the chase. The recent low scores further tilts the axe on the future of the senior batters Rohit and Kohli, who have been under fire in the last three games. Barring his marvelous century in Perth, Kohli hasn’t showed the similar approach later in the series.
The India No.4 batter has scored 167 runs in seven innings at an average of 27.83 while Rohit has only made 31 runs in five innings at 6.20 with him yet to score more than 10 runs in an innings.
Gavaskar’s take on top order
Gavaskar didn’t minced his words and pointed out that the senior players’ lack of application of the game costed India the game.
“It all depends on the selectors. The contributions that were expected have not come. It is the top-order which has to contribute, if the top-order is not contributing, why blame the lower-order,” Gavaskar told India Today.
“The seniors have not really made the contribution that they should have, all that they had to do was bat out today and live to fight another day in Sydney. It’s just that the top-order didn’t contribute and that is the reason India found itself in this position.”
Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has called out the senior players for failing to contribute, particularly in the top-order, after the Rohit Sharma-led side faced defeat in the fourth Test in Melbourne. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
