New Delhi: Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, has found himself in an unwanted company alongside former leaders Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni after India’s heavy 10-wicket loss to Australia in the pink-ball Test at Adelaide on December 8. The dominant Australian side extended their perfect record in day-night Tests with a commanding victory, leaving the struggling Indian team to reflect on their performance.
It was a story of two lackluster batting displays, with senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli appearing well off their prime. While Jasprit Bumrah put in a determined effort with the ball, he lacked a strong partner at the other end, leaving India’s attack ineffective.
This was the shortest-ever Test between India and Australia in terms of deliveries bowled, and it will be a tough loss for Rohit. He has now lost four consecutive Tests as captain, joining other greats like Kohli, Dhoni, Datta Gaekwad, Sachin Tendulkar, and MAK Pataudi on that list.
During his time as Test captain, Virat Kohli suffered defeats in two Tests in New Zealand in February 2020, the infamous pink-ball Adelaide Test later that year, and against England at home in Chennai in 2021.
Starting the day at 128/5, rookie allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy (42) showed a brave approach, preventing a second consecutive innings defeat under lights in Adelaide. However, India were still bowled out for a meager 175, which was even worse than their first innings total of 180.
The required 19 runs were a mere formality, achieved in just the fourth over. India’s second innings lasted only 37 overs, with captain Pat Cummins exploiting the short ball to claim 5/57. He dismissed KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, a set Nitish Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Harshit Rana, who was out for a 12-ball duck.
Following a dominant 295-run victory over Australia in Perth, the Indian batting unit will be disappointed to learn that they managed to survive only 81 overs across both innings – less than a full day of Test batting.
