WATCH: Pat Cummins strikes twice in over to send Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul packing

India had a nervous start to their chase in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground. The visitors planned to stay patient early on, despite chasing 340 runs and in the meantime, Pat Cummins clinched two quick wickets of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul to put India on the back foot, as they were reduced to 25/2. Captain Rohit, who otherwise is known for his aggressive batting looked to settle down first but eventually, that proved costly as he departed for nine.

Rohit was under immense pressure, leading to the chase, as his spot on the Test team was under threat. There are reports of him getting sacked after the Melbourne Test if India fail to get the job done. The captain wanted to keep his nerves in check and for the same reason, he took some time to settle down, which helped Australia build pressure on the visitors.

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In the 17th over of the game, the 37-year-old lost his concentration, as he wanted to flick Cummins but ended up getting a nick. Mitchell Marsh, who was stationed at Gully picked up a terrific catch to end Rohit’s stay as Australian players were in jubilant.

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Meanwhile, Rahul also departed in the same over. He looked in fantastic touch earlier in the series and for the first time, he was demoted to number three and that might have affected his performance. The 32-year-old made 24 runs in the first innings and failed to open his tally in the second. Like Rohit, Rahul nicked one to Usman Khawaja, who was stationed at first slips.

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India’s regressive start may have killed their chance to win the Melbourne Test. However, if the team manages to recover quickly and Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant play their natural cricket, the visitors can script a late comeback. The role of Virat Kohli is also vital. At Gabba in 2021, Shubman Gill played a career-defining knock and Jaiswal will have to repeat that as India chase 340 runs. Kohli will have to Cheteshwar Pujara.