Melbourne: In an unexpected turn, the Indian cricket team was met with their disheartening defeat in the Melbourne Test, which left both the fans and the analysts in a state of disbelief. Team India, until the end of the second session, was seemingly in a position to draw the match, having lost only three wickets. However, the final session was the scene of a shocking collapse, which led to the team losing the match by dropping seven wickets in just 20.4 overs.
Reports have said that the Indian team’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, was infuriated outright after the defeat. Not long after the game was over, Gambhir, in the dressing room, vented his anger, reprimanding the players for the way they played. Instead of singling someone out, he made it clear that he was displeased.
The atmosphere in the dressing room was full of tension with Gambhir calling for an immediate meeting with the players. According to the Indian Express, he speculated on the match in detail, condemning the team for not using the plan set up in advance. Gambhir expressed his anger at the players who deviated from the plan by asserting their right to play naturally, stating emphatically that they should have, first of all, adapted to the situation rather than trying to implement the strategy based on their wishes.
Gautam Gambhir, who officially took up the position of head coach last July and became part of the team in August, drew upon his experience of six months to make a clear statement. He announced to the players that they would no longer be able to play as per their own wish. From now on, he will present the game tactic, and any player who does not comply with the rules of the game set by the coach will face removal from the squad.
In the match’s closing day, Team India was given the responsibility of chasing 340 runs. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma were right on course as they protected their wickets well against the wicked bowling of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. On his behalf, Rohit, who was having a rough time with his form, decided to play against the line with a Cummins ball, only to be caught at slip. Virat Kohli’s dismissal not long after that, he edged an outside-off delivery just ahead of lunch, which greatly destabilised the team.
Rishabh Pant, who had been the target of the opponent bowlers during the second session, got out early in the next, called on a long-on six, attempting a hit off a part-time bowler, Travis Head. Moreover, Pant had lost his wicket playing a lap shot in the first innings as well, both occasions leading to the team’s collapse. Yashasvi Jaiswal also fell into a trap as he got out playing a pull shot to a strategically set Pat Cummins.
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