Mumbai: The Indian cricket team’s defeat to Australia in the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on December 30, 2024, was not just a loss—it was a humiliation, a stark reminder of the gulf between ambition and execution.
The match wasn’t just about a mere statistical outcome but exposed deep-rooted issues that threaten to derail India’s cricketing ambitions on the global stage. Let’s start with the glaring issues on the field. India’s batting line-up, which boasts of some of the finest talents in world cricket, crumbled under pressure.
Chasing 340 in the fourth innings on the final day, the Indian team was dismissed for a paltry 155 runs. The batting collapse was swift, brutal, and entirely avoidable. How is it that a team that includes top-tier batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant could be reduced to rubble by an Australian bowling attack that, though formidable, was hardly at its peak? The Indian batsmen displayed a lack of resilience, technical discipline, and mental fortitude, all key components of successful fourth-innings batting.
Utterly Unconvincing
The top order, barring a few moments from Jaiswal, was utterly unconvincing. And yet, this is a team that boasts some of the most hyped talents in world cricket—Kohli’s grandeur, Pant’s audacity, and Sharma’s calm. Yet, when it counted the most, these players floundered in the face of Australian discipline and pressure. Rishabh Pant, in particular, remains a puzzle. His inconsistency with the bat has become a thorn in India’s side, his unpredictability often costing the team crucial partnerships and stability. Despite his occasional brilliance, his failure to apply himself in pressure situations has become a worrying trend. The middle order, too, was no better.
Shreyas Iyer, who was supposed to be the anchor, played an unconvincing knock, surrendering meekly to the pressure. In these high-stakes encounters, middle-order batters must step up, but instead, they crumbled under the strain, unable to hold the fort. But it wasn’t just the batting that let India down. The Indian bowlers, though they had their moments, couldn’t sustain the pressure. They allowed Australia to dominate in key moments, failing to break critical partnerships. The likes of Ashwin and Jadeja, so often lauded for their control and skill, couldn’t land the decisive blows when the team needed it most. It was a failure in execution, a lack of the killer instinct that sets the world’s best apart. And where was India’s leadership? Rohit Sharma, the captain, had no answers.
While his leadership has been solid in recent times, this defeat revealed his inability to inspire his side when the chips were down. A captain’s role is to rally his team, to calm nerves, to steer them through tough times. But in Melbourne, Sharma’s men were left to flounder, without direction, without purpose. This defeat stings not only because of the magnitude of the loss but because it came at the worst possible time. India’s chances of making the World Test Championship final now hang by a thread, with only the Sydney Test left to salvage their pride and dreams.
The team’s dismal performance in Melbourne has cast serious doubts on their ability to rise to the occasion when it matters most. India’s cricketing hierarchy must take a hard look at the state of the game. The team has the talent, but they are failing to deliver consistently on the world’s biggest stages.
If India hopes to reclaim its spot at the top, they must address the glaring weaknesses in their approach—both in terms of skill and mentality. This defeat must serve as a wake-up call, one that demands action, introspection, and most importantly, a collective commitment to perform under pressure. Otherwise, the dream of global glory will continue to slip away.
