BGT 2024-25: They came, they saw, they floundered

Australia beat India by 184 runs in the Melbourne Test to end the visitor's 10-year unbeaten run at the iconic venue and go 2-1 up in the 5-match series.

Melbourne: A controversial verdict at the crucial juncture of the match may have hit the final nail in the coffin, but even the third umpire's decision to undermine the obvious evidence and overrule the on-field umpire's not-out call couldn't obscure the collective failure of the Indian batting.

At the forefront of India's massive loss in the Boxing Day Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy were two veteran batters living on borrowed time and a maverick who never seems to learn from his mistakes.

Having made an unpopular choice to open the innings and push KL Rahul to No. 3 and Shubman Gill out of the 11, Rohit Sharma failed for the second time, putting the Indian chase under pressure. Virat Kohli once again failed to keep his urge to chase the outside-off ball and perished in the last over before lunch.

At 33 for three, Australia might have sniffed victory but Yashasvi Jaiswal (84, 208b, 8x4) and Rishabh Pant (30, 104b, 3x4) showed remarkable resolve and restraint to keep the Australian attack at bay. They defended well, left well and rotated the strike beautifully to deny Australia any success in the entire second session. 

The left-handed duo rekindled hopes of an honourable draw after what had appeared like a lost cause following the dismissal of Rohit, KL Rahul and Kohli in quick succession. Having exhausted all his first options, Pat Cummins brought in Travis Head to try his part-time off-spinners, and Pant fell for the bait. The southpaw tried to pull one that was outside off and was caught at widish long-leg.

Having got the second wind, Australia rammed home the advantage, dismissing the last seven Indian batters for just 34 runs and ending India's 10-year unbeaten run at the iconic venue.     

For the record, India were chasing a target of 340 runs from a maximum of 92 overs after Australia, overnight 228/9, were bowled out for 234. Jasprit Bumrah (5/57) cleaned up Nathan Lyon for a five-wicket haul on the final day of the Boxing Day Test here at the MCG on Monday.

While India weren't obviously going for victory, they couldn't bat the time either, folding for 155 in 79.1 overs. They needed to last another 13 overs, and had their batters shown a bit more purpose and application, they would have been going to Sydney for the final Test 1-1 instead of 1-2.     

To be fair, Rohit and Jaiswal -- almost meditative -- aimed to blunt the Australian pacers in the opening session. Pat Cummins (3/28) and Mitchell Starc probed relentlessly, teasing the edges. The fresh ball danced to the whims of the conditions -- seaming, swinging, and occasionally climbing off the surface. It was a battle of patience and technique but a manageable one. 

Yet, for all their determination, the sense of fragility lingered. A single mistake could unravel India's plans and position in the series. And while attrition was the chosen strategy, the question loomed: How long could they last?

Defensive cricket can be a double-edged sword; while it denies the opposition many openings and chances to apply pressure, it can also plant seeds of self-doubt. Batting over 90 overs to save a Test in modern day cricket is an intimidating task. You need Gavaskaresque powers of concentration and Dravidesque resolve to carry out that job. Fed on a steady diet of white-ball cricket, very few current Indian batters have that kind of game. Amid ruins, this shortcoming stood exposed thoroughly.

That said, no praise can be too high for Cummins, who was rightly adjudged the player of the match, who took wickets (six for the match) and scored runs (49 & 41) that made the difference between Australia winning and drawing.

The Aussie skipper was relentless, providing breakthroughs, and proactive, setting attacking fields and making effective bowling changes.

SCORE BOARD AUSTRALIA (I Innings): 474 all out INDIA (I Innings): 369 all out AUSTRALIA (II Innings; O/n: 228/9): Konstas b Bumrah 8 (18b 1x4) Khawaja b Siraj 21 (65b 2x4) Labuschagne lbw Siraj 70 (139b 3x4) Smith c Pant b Siraj 13 (41b 1x4) Head c Nitish b Bumrah 1 (2b) Marsh c Pant b Bumrah 0 (4b) Carey b Bumrah 2 (7b) Cummins c Rohit b Jadeja 41(90b 4x4) Starc (run out) 5 (13b) Lyon b Bumrah 41 (55b 5x4) Boland (not out) 15 (74b 2x4) Extras (LB-10 NB-6 W-1) 17 TOTAL (all out 83.4 overs) 234 Fall of wickets: 1-20 (Konstas) 2-43 (Khawaja) 3-80 (Smith) 4-85 (Head) 5-85 (Marsh) 6-91 (Carey) 7-148 (Labuschagne) 8-156 (Starc) 9-173 (Cummins). Bowling: Bumrah 24.4-7-57-5 (nb-4) Akash 17-4-53-0 (nb-1) Siraj 23-4-70-3 (w-1) Jadeja 14-2-33-1 Nitish 1-0-4-0 Washington 4-0-7-0. INDIA (II Innings): Jaiswal c Carey b Cummins 84 (208 8x4) Rohit c Marsh b Cummins 9 (40b) Rahul c Khawaja b Cummins 0 (5b) Kohli c Khawaja b Starc 5 (29b) Pant c Marsh b Head 30 (104b 2x4) Jadeja c Carey b Boland 2 (14b) Nitish c Smith b Lyon 1 (5b) Washington (not out) 5 (45b) Akash c Head b Boland 7 (17b 1x4) Bumrah c Smith b Boland 0 (8b) Siraj lbw Lyon 0 (2b) Extras (B-5 LB-5 NB-2) 12 TOTAL (all out 79.1 overs) 155 Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Rohit) 2-25 (Rahul) 3-33 (Kohli) 4-121 (Pant) 5-127 (Jadeja) 6-130 (Nitish) 7-140 (Jaiswal) 8-150 (Akash) 9-154 (Bumrah). Bowling: Starc 16-8-25-1 Cummins 18-5-28-3 (nb-1) Boland 16-7-39-3 (nb-1) Marsh 3-2-2-0 Lyon 20.1-6-37-2 Head 5-0-14-1 Labuschange 1-1-0-0. Result: Australia won by 184 runs PoM: Pat Cummins Series: Australia lead 2-1 Fifth & final Test: January 2-7 (Sydney)