As the dust settles on the Indian defeat in Melbourne, it is time to leave it behind and look ahead at the fifth and final Test of the BGT Series starting in Sydney on January 3, 2025. The turnaround time is short and with the team traveling today, all they will get is two days to recalibrate. First and foremost, the team needs to believe that they can get the job done. They have enough gas left from what we have seen in Melbourne. It does give the team and hordes of fans a lot of hope.
Jasprit Bumrah continues to be the player of the series and he will surely deliver one more time at the SCG. Importantly, Mohd Siraj bowled much better in the Australian second innings at the MCG. This will be a big relief for the Indian team management. Akash Deep wasn’t really suited for Melbourne and it will be interesting to see if India goes back to Harshit Rana. The Sydney deck has changed in the last few years and Harshit or Prasidh Krishna can indeed be a better option at the SCG.
Most importantly, India will need clarity of thought. If they play all-rounders to give the bowling unit cushion then it can’t be two all-rounders, Washington Sundar and Nitish Reddy, bowl just 27 overs between them in an entire Test match. In such a case, they are playing as batters, not all-rounders. While Nitish Reddy has been stellar, the question arises if Shubman Gill should get a look-in at the SCG ahead of Sundar? While Sundar hasn’t done anything wrong, it is unlikely that India will look to leave out Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. And that’s where Sundar might just have to sit out.
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There is enough fragility in the Australian batting and it has been exposed time and again in this series. At 94-6 India should have wrapped up the Aussie innings for 150 and closed things out. But with Bumrah and Siraj exhausted, there was not much gas left in the Indian bowling tank. That’s where a Harshit Rana, with his hit the deck option comes into play. Also, India will need to show much better game awareness. When we look back at the Melbourne Test, it should have been a draw. Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal had done all the hard work in the post-lunch session. To then throw it away hurts a lot. Pant, for all the talent he has, must realise that he can’t just play shots with a high risk involved. He has to play percentage cricket, for that’s what the team needs at this point. If there is a long-on stationed, don’t play that shot. Take a single and keep the Australians at bay. Pant, having played 100 deliveries, could have done that. Truth is, he did not.
If India makes these minor adjustments, there is no reason why they can’t push Australia in the New Year Test. With all to play for and the Border Gavaskar Trophy and perhaps his red ball career on the line, it is time for Rohit Sharma to go all out. A 1-3 loss is the same as a 1-2 loss. So, take risks, calculated ones, and push Australia. A 2-2 series scoreline will mean India go home victors. That’s what a legion of Indian fans will want as a New Year gift.
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