Rohit, Virat fail again as Australia wins fourth Test to take 2-1 lead

MELBOURNE: India slumped to a demoralising 184-run loss to Australia in the fourth Test here on Monday with contemporary greats Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failing to come good yet again, signalling that their walk towards the exit door is not too far.

Chasing a near improbable target of 340, both Rohit (9 off 40 balls) and Kohli (5 off 29) failed to battle their technical frailties and mental cobwebs as India lost seven wickets for 34 runs in just 20.4 overs in the final session to be all out for 155 in 79.1 overs.

Australian captain Pat Cummins (3/28 in 18 overs) was superb as usual and Scott Boland was also magnificent (3/39 in 16 overs) in his every spell.

Nathan Lyon (2/37 in 20.1 overs) took advantage of variable bounce while Mitchell Starc (1/25 in 16 overs) got the prized scalp of Kohli.

This was after an 88-run fourth-wicket stand between Yashasvi Jasiwal and Rishabh Pant.

Australia now leads the series 2-1 and unless India draws level in Sydney, a third successive World Test Championship final could become a distant dream. Even to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India would need to post a win.

Save Jaiswal (84, 208 balls, 8x4), whose controversial caught-behind in which the third umpire overruled technology to adjudge him out, none of the other batters performed well enough to save the team.

The art of saving Test matches has slowly become extinct but India would have depended on its two senior-most players, who are also fighting to save their legacy and reputation built over nearly two decades.

In case of Rishabh Pant, it was one bad shot too many after a full session in which he concentrated. He got a rank long hop from Travis Head but after a 104-ball vigil, it all came to a naught.

Even Jaiswal’s guts and grit couldn’t prevent a once highly-rated, but currently a trifle over-rated, Indian batting line-up from implosion with over-the-hill seniors and young superstars unable to handle the pressure.

The defeat could have severe repercussions as there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel for skipper Rohit.

As for Kohli, despite all his white-ball exploits, the problems outside the off-stump will stick out like a sore thumb.

Rohit did all the hard work during the first hour before opposition skipper Cummins got his bunny for the 10th time in Test matches.

Kohli could never control his urge of playing the cover drive again and was caught at first slip after Mitchell Starc pushed one across with the angle.

Rahul was out without troubling the scorers after getting a second good ball in the game.

Rohit’s decision to bat up the order backfired and it also tinkered with Rahul’s mindset despite him being perfectly fine opening the innings.

Brief scores: Australia 474 & 234 in 83.4 overs (M Labuschagne 70, P Cummins 41, N Lyon 41, J Bumrah 5/57, Md. Siraj 3/70) bt India 369 & 155 in 79.1 overs (Y Jaiswal 84, P Cummins 3/28, S Boland 3/39)