New Delhi: India suffered another humbling defeat under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, losing the Boxing Day Test by 184 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to go 1-2 down in the 5-match series. Set an improbable target of 340 on the final day, India were bowled out for a paltry 155 in 79.1 overs with around 14 overs play left in the day.
The loss severely dented India’s chances of reaching the World Test Championship final as Australia consolidated their second spot in the World Test Championship final. South Africa have already qualified for the final after their thrilling win against Pakistan in Centurion on Sunday.
Pant’s wicket sparks dramatic collapse
Yashasvi Jaiswal (84 off 208 balls) fought a lone battle with the bat, scoring his second half-century of the game. The left-handed opener combined with Rishabh Pant (30 off 104) to bat out the entire second session take fuel India’s hopes of a draw. But Pant’s dismissal at the beginning of the session sparked a dramatic collapse as India lost their last seven wickets for just 34 runs.
Australia skipper Pat Cummins was the pick of the bowlers for the home with three wickets to his name. Meanwhile, Scott Boland also dismissed three batters as Australia produced a relentless display of fast bowling.
Earlier, Australia, resuming the day at 228 for nine, added just six runs to their score and were bundled out for 234.
India’s superstar speedster Jasprit Bumrah (5/57) led the show with a five-wicket haul.
Senior batters let India down again
It was a great opportunity for senior batters to stand up to the task but Cummins had other ideas. The Aussie skipper along with Mitchell Starc bowled a sensational spell with the new ball and didn’t allow Rohit and Jaiswal to get going. The constant pressure finally induced a mistake from Rohit, who tried to break the shackles with an aggressive stroke but the shot selection was poor. Rohit tried to play the angle and whip it away through midwicket but all he managed to do was get an outside edge.
KL Rahul (0) the in-form batter was dismissed by Scott Boland while Mitchell Starc exposed Virat Kohli (5) yet again outside off-stump.
The final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground starts on January 3, Friday.
AUS vs IND: India suffer hammer blow in WTC final race after losing the MCG Test by 184 runs on the final day. India suffered a dramatic collapse on Day 5 to lose the Test as Australia took a 2-1 lead. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
