India lose Melbourne identity to Aussies
MELBOURNE: As Rohit Sharma sat on the dais for the fifth time this year to address the media after a Test match defeat, there was a sense of unease. The usual Rohit charisma was missing. The wit and humour and those frank admissions have deserted the room. Once again he was there to discuss another loss.
The gloom before the New Year’s Eve night is not something the India team would have wanted. Yet, it was, after Australia beat them here on Monday. More than the loss, the way India capitulated is something the team management should ponder about.
India had lost their last seven wickets for just 34 runs in 20.4 overs and what looked like a well-deserved draw, ended in a loss. As the bandwagon shifts to Sydney, India trail Australia 1-2 with one last Test to play for.
The press conference freflected Rohit’s sombre mood. He was struggling, like his form and innings, to find the apt words. With guns training at his batting and leadership, there is little Rohit can do.
In the five innings he played in Australia, he scored only 31 runs at an average of 6.2, considered dismal by his standard. By the look of Rohit, there seemed to be something ominous brewing within.
With India needing him and the other senior player Virat Kohli most to salvage a draw, both perished in the most pitiable fashion. They had been the anti-thesis to the mercurial Jasprit Bumrah, who once again finished with a five-wicket haul. Such had been the dependency on his bowling, he had bowled almost one-third of overs sent down by India in the second innings. Kohli once again showed his vulnerability outside off and when he fell India were staring down the barrel.
If not for young Yashasvi Jaiswal (84) and Rishabh Pant partnership of 88, India would have folded up their innings well before the last session.
“There are things that we as a team need to look at,” Sharma said. “I personally need to look at as well. So we will try and see what happens.” He said Sydney is still there. “If we can play that game well, with 2-2, a draw will be really nice.”