Australia won the Test against India by 184 runs at Melbourne Cricket Ground and took a 2-1 lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The outcome not only put India on the back foot in the series but also ended hopes of making it to the final of the World Test Championship 2023-25.
Australia’s bowling skills came to the fore due to Pat Cummins and Scott Boland, who helped deliver victory. Cummins took six wickets and scored 90 runs in the match and therefore has been awarded the Player of the Match as well as the Johnny Mullagh Medal. With three crucial strikes in India’s second innings, Boland was able to crumble India’s resistance.
Jaiswal’s Defiant Stand Falls Short
Yashasvi Jaiswal was a rock for India with a courageous 84 off 208 balls while anchoring the chase with grit and composure. Rishabh Pant briefly lifted hopes, adding 88 runs to the Indian score as they tried to save the game. But that’s when Travis Head dismissed Pant, which was the turning point. The Indian lower order crumbled under relentless pressure as seven wickets fell for 34 runs in the final session.
Jaiswal, whose dismissal was a little controversial, made things much worse for India. He was LBW off Cummins, but Snicko did not show a spike. The third umpire gave it to the fielding team, and the tail-end batsmen of India, who had 21 overs to be there, could not survive.
Bowling of Australia was dominant
Australia showed discipline and determination in attack. Cummins, Boland, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon at once accounted for India’s batters during the entire game. Starc, nursing a back injury, hit back to dismiss Virat Kohli for the second time in the innings and Lyon took the last wicket getting Mohammed Siraj lbw to celebrate.
India’s chase of 340 in 92 overs was never easy, particularly after Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Kohli’s early dismissals. By lunch, Australia had firmly established control, and India’s chances of a successful chase disappeared fast.
End of World Test Championship 2023-25 Final Dreams for India
This defeat blows away India’s dreams of entering the WTC final. Australia has put itself in a pretty good spot for a chance, while South Africa have already ascertained its position with an enthralling win over Pakistan. Now India will be focusing on the final Test of the series in Sydney as victory is a must to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
This loss will, no doubt, be thoroughly analyzed in terms of how India performed and what strategies went wrong, especially the inconsistency of the seniors and the failure of the top order. For now, Australia’s emphatic win seals their superiority and gives them a very important morale boost going into the final showdown.
Also, see: End of Rohit Sharma in Tests? Ravi Shastri speaks on retirement rumours