India lost the MCG Test to Australia by 184 runs on Day 5 in Melbourne on Monday (Dec 30). With this, Pat Cummins-led hosts took an unassailable 2-1 lead and have a chance to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) with a win, or draw, in the series finale in Sydney. Chasing 340, India were never in the hunt but Yashasvi Jaiswal's dismissal led to their eventual downfall. Jaiswal was controversially out for 84, when side on replays showed he hit a delivery, off Cummins, with the gloves but Real Time Snickometer (RTS) showed no spike.

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Eventually, the visual evidence helped the third umpire overturn the initial call and adjudge Jaiswal out. In the post-match presser, Indian captain Rohit Sharma shared his take on his opening partner's dismissal.

'He did touch the ball...'

Rohit said, "In all fairness, I think he did touch the ball. The technology is not always 100 per cent. More often than not, we are the ones falling on the wrong side of it (decision-making by DRS). I believe it was a little unfortunate."

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“He showed great character and a lot of fight, batting there in the middle. I just hope he goes from strength to strength. There is a lot more to look forward to from him," he added.

Also read: BGT: Australia beat India by 184 runs in MCG Test to take unassailable 2-1 lead

India had a lot of chances in the fourth and penultimate Test, i.e. the Boxing Day match, but eventually lost by a big margin. Opting to bowl first, India conceded 474 with Steve Smith (140) and other Aussie batters chipping in with valuable knocks. In reply, India's famed batters fell flat but Nitish Reddy's 114 took visitors to 369, conceding a 105-run lead.

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In the third innings, India reduced Australia to 91-6 but Marnus Labuschagne's 70 and 41 apiece from Cummins and Nathan Lyon took the hosts to 234 all-out on Day 5, setting a 340-run target. 

India's flop batting show and fielding errors, dropping three catches on Day 4, cost them dearly at the MCG, Melbourne.

Hitman added, "We had our chances but didn’t take them. I know things can get difficult, but that is what we are here for."

India will now look for a 2-2 scoreline with a win in the SCG Test whereas Australia will be desperate to regain the BGT with a 3-1 margin and also keep their hopes alive of playing the WTC final, where South Africa have booked a slot. The finale is scheduled for mid-June, 2025.