India appear to have hit a roadblock of sorts after winning the first two Tests in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, losing the third comprehensively before conceding a big score to Australia at the start of the fourth and final game.
Australia bounced back from consecutive one-sided defeats in Nagpur and Delhi by cruising to a nine-wicket victory in the third Test in Indore, before posting nearly 500 after opting to bat on a batting paradise in Ahmedabad.
Australia’s solid first innings total that came on the back of a marathon 180 by Usman Khawaja and a maiden international hundred by Cameron Green, puts them in firm control of the game. It also puts Rohit Sharma in a spot of bother, with the Indian skipper’s tactics starting to fall under the spotlight at a time when results are not going their way.
Cricketer-turned-commentator Ravi Shastri, who had spent time with Rohit in the Indian dressing room in the capacity of a head coach, described the challenges faced by Rohit in what is his biggest Test assignment yet as a “big learning curve”.
It’s a big learning curve for Rohit Sharma. Tests were getting over in quick time, the game was moving very fast. But this one, it’s a good pitch. The wickets are not coming as quickly as it used to be. That’s when you got to get that thinking cap on, marshalling your resources. One thing captaining overseas, and one thing captaining in India on good tracks.
“He has got all the good skills, but this is the exposure he needs. It’s when one partnership comes up, you will be tested,” Shastri was quoted as saying on air on Star Sports, the official broadcaster.
While Khawaja and Green did the bulk of scoring with a 208-run fifth-wicket stand, their tail also wagged on the second day to ensure they posted a handsome 480 on the board as Nathan Lyon (34) and Todd Murphy (41) added 70 for the ninth wicket.
Senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was once again the pick of the Indian bowlers with figures of 6/91 — his 32nd Test five-for. Mohammed Shami, who replaced Mohammed Siraj in the XI, accounted for the wickets of in-form opener Travis Head and No 3 batter Marnus Labuschagne.