India skipper Rohit Sharma hoped that his side could bounce back from the Melbourne loss to tie the series in Australia.
The 184-run loss in the Boxing Day Test has placed India in a critical must-win scenario as they approach the New Year’s Test in Sydney, where they aim to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a title they have held for over ten years.
Under Jasprit Bumrah's leadership, the Indian team showed great effort at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Rising star Nitish Kumar Reddy scored his first Test century. The match drew an impressive crowd over the last three days. However, they were ultimately outperformed by Pat Cummins’ team, who capitalized on a significant first-innings advantage.
Like the rest of the series, India’s senior batters struggled. Virat Kohli scored 167 runs at an average of 27.83. Captain Rohit Sharma only managed 31 runs at an average of 6.2. Together, they scored 53 runs in four games.
During the post-match press conference, captain Rohit Sharma took accountability for both his role as a leader and as a batsman.
“There’s no point in dwelling on what has transpired in the past. Clearly, some outcomes have not favored us, and as a captain, that is certainly disheartening, and as a batsman, it is equally frustrating,” Rohit expressed.
He went on to mention that he has been working to resolve the issues, but unfortunately, things have not aligned as he had hoped.
“A lot of the strategies I’m attempting to implement are not coming together in the way I desire. Mentally, it is undoubtedly unsettling when you arrive with the intention of achieving success in your role, and when those elements fail to align, it leads to significant disappointment,” Rohit stated.
If India does not manage to secure a victory in Sydney, it would mark their first loss to Australia in this format in a decade, and they would also be eliminated from the race for a spot in the World Test Championship final.
Rohit was fully cognizant of the situation and was determined to strive for a victory in the concluding Test, aiming to secure a drawn series.
“At this moment, that’s the current state of affairs, and there are aspects that we, as a team, need to evaluate. I also need to reflect on my own performance,” Rohit remarked.
“We will attempt to see how things unfold; there’s still one match remaining, and if we can perform well in that game, it’s currently 2-2. A draw would be quite favorable.”
Despite the brief turnaround before the Sydney Test, Rohit emphasized the importance of continuing to focus on areas for improvement.
“Time is limited, but there are numerous factors that didn’t go in our favor. Clearly, we need to assess those issues, identify what we can rectify, and address what we didn’t execute well as a team, as players, and as individuals.”
“Maintaining our resolve is crucial, and when we arrive in Sydney, we must ensure we harness that momentum to our advantage,” he stated.
Rohit also discussed Rishabh Pant’s dismissal early in the third session. The left-hander’s wicket, which came while attempting a big shot against part-time bowler Travis Head, ended a promising partnership and marked the start of India’s downfall, as the team collapsed from 121/3 to 155 all out.
Rohit pointed out that there exists a delicate balance between aggressive batting that yields results and reckless shot selection, but it was ultimately Pant’s responsibility to understand his game and choose his shots wisely.
“More than any of us advising him, he needs to determine the best approach for himself. In the past, he has brought us considerable success by playing his natural game. As a captain, I have mixed feelings about it.”
“There are times when you want to support his style, and other times when it becomes frustrating for everyone when it doesn’t pan out well. But that’s just the nature of the game.”
Despite India’s defeat, their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah continued to impress, taking nine wickets in the match and surpassing the milestone of 200 Test wickets.
However, Bumrah bowled a total of 53.2 overs during the Melbourne Test and has delivered 141.2 overs throughout the series, the highest for any bowler on either side.
While Bumrah has been the leading wicket-taker, other bowlers in the Indian lineup have struggled to deliver crucial breakthroughs consistently, which has led Rohit to rely heavily on Bumrah for wickets.
Nevertheless, the captain clarified that the management has been closely monitoring Bumrah’s fitness throughout the series.
“There’s no denying that he has bowled a significant number of overs. However, we keep that in consideration for every Test match we play. In fact, we are mindful of the workload for all our bowlers,” the captain explained.
“When a bowler is in good form, you want to capitalize on that. That’s what we’ve aimed to do with Bumrah. Yet, there comes a point when it’s necessary to step back and allow him some rest.”
“I’ve been very cautious about this. I communicate with him regarding how he feels while bowling; these aspects need to be managed with care. I am making an effort to do that on the field,” he added.
The final Test of the five-match series is set to commence on January 3 in Sydney.
