After a long gap, Virat Kohli had a hundred in the first Test at Perth while skipper Rohit Sharma’s last came against England at Dharamshala in March last year. File photo
| Photo Credit: AFP
Late on Monday (December 30, 2024) the light dimmed on the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Seagulls descended on the turf, cleaning staff were busy removing the waste that a massive sporting contest tends to generate, and Australian cricketers lingered around, savouring their 184-run triumph against India in the fourth Test.
Marnus Labuschagne lay sprawled on the grass while a child scampered around him. There was laughter and giggles. If it was rainbow and sunshine for Pat Cummins and his men, there was sadness trailing the Indian unit. On two previous tours, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was secured. This time around, the visitors are trailing 1-2, and hoping to draw level in the final Test commencing at Sydney on January 3.
Australia remains a tough opponent in its backyard, and this was evident on the concluding day of the fourth Test. India was cruising at 121 for three, and this after a middle session in which Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant stabilised the second innings.
Suddenly, violating his own self-imposed restraint against the previous 103 deliveries he faced, Pant launched a lofted shot off Travis Head and the ball just found an alert Mitchell Marsh near the ropes. It was the game’s tipping point. From 121 for four, India slid to 155 all out.
The beauty of Test cricket is that it also offers space for a stalemate. However, in these frenetic times of winning at all costs, a draw is seen as an aberration. But a draw was indeed possible for India and that hinged on Jaiswal and Pant stretching their fourth-wicket partnership. It was not to be. An old truism is that batters who are set need to cash in.
In 1984, following rush-of-blood shots by Kapil Dev and Sandeep Patil against England at Delhi, the selectors wielded the axe. It was obviously an extreme measure and one that will not find an echo in these days of letting a player reveal his natural vibe. Still, Pant has to find a method in his madness.
If youngsters like Jaiswal and Pant did the hard yards but slipped at the final hurdle, the middling performance of veterans like skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli derailed the team. In the past, a tour of Australia has forced a closure to pedigreed Indian stars. Dilip Vengsarkar felt this effect after the 1991-92 tour. It was the same for Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman following their 2011-12 visit.
Down Under, either legacies are built or retirements get hastened. After a long gap, Kohli had a hundred in the first Test at Perth while Rohit’s last came against England at Dharamshala in March last year. Their drought in Tests often gets camouflaged through their flamboyance in limited overs cricket. Having bowed out of T20Is, while still being in the mix for Tests and ODIs, the captain and his predecessor need to perform.
Sadly, the efforts of Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar and Washington Sundar in the fourth Test went in vain. It is time the batting clicks. K.L. Rahul has been an exception but he too could not prosper at the MCG. Runs on the board is a non-negotiable requirement and India’s willow-wielders have to respect that. There may be speculation about the selectors’ cold-tap on the shoulder, but for now Sydney awaits.
Published – December 31, 2024 02:03 pm IST
