A Series to Forget: What Went Wrong for India in Their 3-1 Loss to Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy
CricketPanditIndia lost the fifth Test by six wickets in Sydney. Australia won the 5-match series 3-1, claiming their first Border Gavaskar Trophy in a decade. The Asian Giants saw their dominance over Australia in bilateral Test series come to an end as they lost the five-match series 1-3 on Sunday, January 5. The final Test ended in a six-wicket defeat for India, marking the first time since 2015 that they failed to retain the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Several factors contributed to India’s struggles throughout the series, including changes in leadership, frequent adjustments to the batting order, and an underperforming bowling attack.
Multiple issues collectively led to India’s downfall in Australia, thwarting their chances of achieving a hat-trick of series wins down under, despite a promising start. As India concluded their second cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) on a disappointing note with this series loss, let’s examine what went wrong for Rohit Sharma’s team during the tour.
Aside from the second innings of the first Test, the Indian batting lineup rarely appeared in control, succumbing to the relentless Australian bowling. The Indian team managed to surpass the 300-run mark only once in nine innings, while Australia achieved this feat three times during the series.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (391 runs) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (298 runs) emerged as the top scorers for India, while senior players like Virat Kohli (190 runs) and Rohit Sharma (31 runs) struggled to deliver significant performances. In both Adelaide and Melbourne, India needed more runs on the board, which could have altered the outcome of the matches.
Team Selection
In the first Test, India opted for three specialist seamers and two all-rounders, a strategy they maintained throughout the tour. This approach proved successful in Perth, where the visitors secured a commanding 295-run victory to take a 1-0 lead in the series. As the series went on, India had to make numerous changes—first to bring captain Rohit Sharma into the playing XI after he missed the first Test, and later to have him open the innings. This constant reshuffling meant the top order never found its rhythm, leading to a dip in form for KL Rahul. Additionally, the fragile batting lineup prevented the team from including a specialist seamer, which turned out to be a significant setback.
Border Gavaskar Trophy:
Lack of support for Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah made history by delivering the best performance by an Indian bowler in a Test series in Australia. The right-arm speedster emerged as the highest wicket-taker across five Tests, claiming 32 wickets in nine innings at an impressive average of 13.06, including three five-wicket hauls. Consequently, he was rightfully named Player of the Series, even though India ended up losing.
Unfortunately, Bumrah did not receive adequate support from his teammates, who struggled to match his level of performance. His new-ball partner, Mohammed Siraj, took 20 wickets over five matches at an average of 31.15, with best figures of 4/98. The inexperienced trio of Akash Deep (5 wickets at an average of 54), Harshit Rana (4 wickets at an average of 50.75), and Nitish Kumar Reddy (5 wickets at an average of 38) also failed to make an impact on their first tour to Australia. As a result, Bumrah was left to shoulder much of the burden, often standing alone in the Indian pace attack.
Poor Captaincy
Throughout the series, India captain Rohit Sharma frequently came under scrutiny for his inability to control the game. Whenever India had Australia on the ropes after taking several wickets, the hosts managed to fight back with crucial partnerships.
Rohit often adopted an overly defensive approach, particularly in the second innings of the Melbourne Test, when India had the opportunity to press hard on Australia and dismiss them quickly to seize the match.
However, the Indian captain chose to play it safe, which allowed Australia to stage a comeback. A similar situation unfolded in Brisbane when his lack of assertive captaincy let Travis Head and Steve Smith build a significant partnership.
Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma failure
Veteran players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma struggled to make an impact in the series, as they were thoroughly challenged by the strong Australian bowling attack. Rohit Sharma returned to the team after missing the first Test and batted in the middle order. However, he struggled to adjust to this new position and opted to open again in Melbourne, but his troubles continued. Rohit managed to score only 31 runs across six innings, even being outperformed by bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep.
Similarly, Kohli also had a disappointing series with the bat, despite scoring a century in the first Test in Perth. After that, he fell victim to his weakness against balls outside off-stump, which the Australian bowlers exploited effectively, keeping him subdued throughout the series. Consequently, the Indian batting star could only muster 190 runs from nine innings, becoming a significant factor in India’s struggles.
