Rohit, Virat fail again as India lose fourth Test

Melbourne: India faced a crushing 184-run defeat against Australia in the fourth Test, as their batting lineup crumbled while chasing a target of 340. The loss puts Australia ahead 2-1 in the series, jeopardising India’s chances of reaching the World Test Championship final.

Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal stood out with a gutsy 84 runs, but his controversial dismissal triggered a dramatic collapse. India lost seven wickets for just 34 runs in the final session, eventually being bowled out for 155.

Australian captain Pat Cummins led from the front with impressive figures of 3/28, while Scott Boland matched his performance with 3/39. The experienced duo of Rohit Sharma (9) and Virat Kohli (5) failed to make an impact, raising questions about their future in the Test format.

“Pretty disappointing. We wanted to fight but we could not do it,” admitted a dejected Rohit Sharma after the match. The defeat has put India in a must-win situation for the upcoming Sydney Test to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The loss highlighted India’s batting vulnerabilities, with only Jasprit Bumrah’s nine-wicket haul and Nitish Reddy’s century emerging as positives from an otherwise disappointing performance.