3 Reasons India Will Lose the SCG Test Match
India is on the backfoot before the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It is at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Trailing 2-1, the Rohit Sharma-led side has struggled to find form. Their performance in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG was disappointing.
India has a chance to level the series with a win at Sydney. But, three issues suggest they will likely lose the finale.
1. Rohit Sharma’s Baffling Captaincy Decisions
Rohit Sharma’s captaincy has faced heavy scrutiny. Questionable decisions hurt India’s chances.
A notable blunder was disrupting KL Rahul’s opening slot. He had performed well early in the series. Rohit’s decision to replace him as an opener in the MCG Test backfired. It led to failures in India’s top order.
Additionally, Rohit’s team selection has been criticized. For the Pink-Ball Test in Adelaide, many believed Akash Deep should play. But, Harshit Rana was picked instead, and it didn’t work.
In the MCG Test, during Australia’s second innings, Rohit set a defensive field for Boland and Lyon. This let the tailenders take easy singles and stretch Australia’s lead. Such defensive tactics have made it harder for India to stay competitive in the series.
If the same mistakes happen in the SCG Test, India will struggle to come back against a strong Australia.
2. Lack of Bowling Support for Jasprit Bumrah
India’s bowling attack has heavily relied on one man: Jasprit Bumrah. The star pacer has taken 30 wickets in just four Tests. He has carried the bowling unit single-handedly. However, the lack of support from the other bowlers has been a glaring issue.
Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Harshit Rana have been inconsistent. They have only bowled well in patches. Bumrah has relentlessly attacked the Australian batters. But, his teammates have failed to maintain the pressure. This has let Australia recover from tough spots and post big totals.
India’s chances of taking 20 Australian wickets at the SCG are slim. They need a strong bowling effort to do it. Unless other bowlers step up, Bumrah can’t turn the series around.
3. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Shambolic Form
India’s two batting stars, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, are out of form. This has hurt the team’s chances in the series.
Kohli scored a century in Perth. But, he’s been vulnerable outside the off-stump. Australian bowlers have exploited this weakness to great effect. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma’s performance has been abysmal. The Indian captain has failed to score 20 runs in a single innings. He has repeatedly fallen to Pat Cummins, earning the label “Cummins’ bunny.””
Rohit’s inconsistency has been exacerbated by his mid-series shuffle in the batting order. He started as a middle-order batter. Then, he opened in the MCG Test, but failed twice. If both Rohit and Kohli fail again at the SCG, India will struggle to score. This puts the team in a tough spot.
India must solve three problems to level the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are out of form. Jasprit Bumrah lacks bowling support. Rohit’s captaincy decisions are questionable.
With Australia’s bowlers and batters in top form, the odds favor the hosts. If these issues persist, India will likely lose at the SCG. That would give the hosts a dominant series victory.
