Melbourne [Australia], December 30: Captain Rohit Sharma expressed disappointment over missed opportunities as India suffered a heavy 184-run defeat to Australia in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne on Monday.
Australia dominated in all aspects of the game, although the match was decided by some crucial moments. India showed resilience in their second innings after a poor first innings performance. The Indian pace attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, had Australia on the ropes at 91/6. However, missed chances and dropped catches allowed the hosts to fight back.
The turning point came when Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland forged a 61-run partnership, which gave Australia a strong lead and allowed them to set India a daunting target of 340. India’s chase was further complicated by an underwhelming top-order performance, with the first session proving particularly costly. This left India with little chance of success, and Australia took a 2-1 series lead.
“It’s pretty disappointing. It’s not that we went in with the intent of giving up the fight. We wanted to fight till the end, and unfortunately, we couldn’t do it,” Rohit said during the post-match presentation. “We had our chances but didn’t take them. We had Australia at 90 for 6.”
Rohit acknowledged that despite giving their best effort, India fell short, with Lyon and Boland’s crucial partnership being a turning point. “That last-wicket partnership probably cost us the game,” he said, reflecting on the lost opportunities.
Despite the setback, Rohit emphasized that the team was not disheartened. “We know things can get tough, but we want to play tough cricket in tough situations,” he added. He noted that although 340 was always going to be a difficult target, India failed to build the right foundation for a successful chase.
“There are ways to win games, and we fell short in finding ways to win,” Rohit explained.
With just a few days to regroup, India now looks ahead to the final part of the five-match series, starting on Friday, where they will aim to bounce back and level the series.