Melbourne [Australia], December 24: Ahead of the Boxing Day Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India’s captain Rohit Sharma emphasized that the team is concentrating solely on the upcoming Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and is determined to deliver a strong performance.
The series is currently tied at 1-1 after India secured a draw in the third Test in Brisbane. The Boxing Day Test will commence on December 26 at the iconic MCG.
India began the series with an impressive 295-run victory over Australia, but the visitors suffered a 10-wicket loss in Adelaide due to a disappointing performance. The third Test at the Gabba ended in a draw after rain curtailed the match, with Australia dominating for much of the game.
At the pre-match press conference, Rohit reflected on India’s performance so far, stating, “We played some really good cricket in the Perth Test. We were fortunate, especially after being bowled out for 150 runs. But the attitude of the boys—how they came back and bowled Australia out for just 100 runs—showed the mentality of not giving up until the last day or the last over of the match. This is the kind of attitude we have been carrying for a long time on overseas tours. You know you need to put in extra effort and have that mentality, and we demonstrated that in the Perth Test.”
Rohit admitted that India was behind in the Adelaide Test and did not play well, noting, “In Adelaide, we were a bit behind in the game and didn’t play well, which I’ve acknowledged. The Brisbane Test was affected by rain, so not much cricket was played. If I had to sum up the first three Tests, a 1-1 result is a fair reflection of both teams’ performances. Both teams have played solid cricket.”
Looking ahead, Rohit stressed the importance of the remaining two Tests, saying, “These two Tests are crucial for both teams, but we want to focus only on Melbourne now. We aim to get everything right—bat well, bowl well, and take our catches.”
India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Australia Squad: Pat Cummins (C), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (VC), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (VC), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.