Image: Rohit Sharma emphasized that 340 was always a tough target / © Mint
The India vs Australia 4th Test match will always be remembered for the ages, as Australia triumphed over India by 184 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Australia’s victory gave them a 2-1 lead in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). India, chasing a daunting target of 340, collapsed dramatically, and bowled out for just 155 in their second innings.
Despite a valiant 47-run knock from Yashasvi Jaiswal, India’s top order failed, with Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli falling cheaply. A brief partnership between Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant provided hope, but once Pant was dismissed, the tailenders quickly followed suit. He said:
Yeah, it is pretty disappointing you know. We wanted to fight till the end but it did not work out for us. Well, it will be tough to assess in the last two sessions. If you look at the Test match overall, we had our chances but we failed to capitalize on them to be honest. But again, Australia played some brilliant cricket. Things can get difficult in different phases but that’s when you need to step up. Well as a captain, I do not want to blame one individual, as a team we failed to get over the line. We did throw everything we had but you know, they fought really hard in the last wicket partnership. We did not take our chances and it cost us a lot to be honest. 340 was never going to be an easy target to chase but we wanted to play positive and win the game to be honest. They bowled really well.
Rohit Sharma, during the post-match presentation, acknowledged the missed opportunities and stated that chasing 340 was never going to be easy. Australia’s dominant performance put them in a strong position, and with the series now at 2-1, India must win the Sydney Test to stay alive in the competition.