'We wanted to fight till the end but unfortunately couldn't do it' - Rohit Sharma opens up after Melbourne defeat

India’s hopes of levelling the series in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground were ruined after suffering a batting collapse on Day 5, leading to an 184-run defeat at the hands of Australia. Despite being in a tricky situation, Indian captain Rohit Sharma expressed his team's intent to fight until the end and acknowledged the missed opportunities that ultimately cost them the match.

Going into the final day, the tourists were in a difficult position, needing 340 runs to win. By tea, the visitors were 112/3, still in the contest, but the match quickly slipped away after the crucial dismissal of Rishabh Pant. India lost their remaining seven wickets for just 34 runs, handing the Baggy Greens a 2-1 lead in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Reflecting on the defeat during the post-match presentation, Rohit admitted that despite the team's desire to fight until the end, they ultimately failed to capitalize on key moments.

"Pretty disappointing. Not that we went with the intent of not putting up a fight, we wanted to fight till the end but unfortunately couldn't do it. It will be tough to assess just the last session. We have to look at the overall Test match, we had our opportunities, we had our chances, but we didn't take them, and we let Australia come back into the game when we had them 90/6. I know things can get difficult, but that is what we are here for, we wanted to be in tough situations and play hard cricket, I just don't want to look at one incident in the game," he said.

The 37-year-old pointed out that India had been in a strong position at one point, having Australia at 90/6. However, the team failed to capitalize on the situation, something that cost them heavily. 

"We tried everything we could, we threw everything we had, but they fought hard with the last wicket partnership, we had our chances and we didn't grab them, probably cost us the game a little bit there. We know 340 wasn't going to be easy for us. We tried everything we could, if we have wickets in the final two sessions then we could go for the target, but they bowled really well. We wanted to set the platform, but that didn't happen. There are ways to win games, and we are falling short," he added.

Also Read: ‘We were a bit behind on the over rate’ - Pat Cummins reveals reason for letting Travis Head bowl on Day 5

What an amazing Test match, one of the best to be part of: Pat Cummins

Meanwhile, Aussie skipper Pat Cummins was delighted with his team's performance and his performance, as he finished with six wickets and had 40-plus scores in both innings. He revealed that Marnus Labuschagne played a massive support in the second innings. 

"What an amazing Test match, one of the best to be part of, the crowd has been ridiculous and cricket has been just as good, pretty happy change room at the moment, pretty happy to contribute. Marnus helped me out in the second innings big time, never really know what you going to get with our batting, fortunately it came off in this game. Happy to contribute, amazing innings from Smith to hold the first innings together. Getting more than 400 in the first innings set the game for us," Cummins said.

The pacer opened up about the nature of Test cricket, and things can change anytime. He appreciated the side for picking early wickets and getting those breakthroughs whenever required. He also mentioned that runs coming from the lower order plays a huge role as they can be the big difference makers in the end.

"You always think anything can happen. We bowled well in the first session to have them 3/30. They batted well in the middle session. We knew that we had to get one breakthrough and anything can happen, and that proved to be the case. We had plenty of runs to play with, we had plenty of fielders with the helmet around. We talk about a lot about us as a lower order, we put a lot of work into it. We know it can be the difference in a lot of Test matches, and we work on ourselves a lot, to try and contribute a few more runs," Cummins added.