Rohit Sharma equals MS Dhoni, Kapil Dev’s embarrassing feat with defeat in 2nd Test against Australia

Indian cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma joined an embarrassing list as his team slumped to a 10-wicket defeat against Australia in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide on Sunday. The visitors were completely dominated as the match lasted just seven sessions and it was Rohit’s fourth consecutive defeat as captain. As a result, he matched the unwanted feat achieved in the past by MS Dhoni, Datta Gaekwad and Kapil Dev. During his tenure as captain, Sachin Tendulkar lost five Test matches on the trot while legendary cricketer MAK Pataudi tops the list with six defeats as captain in Test cricket.

Indian cricket team skippers who have lost 4 or more test matches in a row

6 MAK Pataudi (1967-68)

5Sachin Tendulkar (1999-00)

4Datta Gaekwad (1959)

4MS Dhoni (2011)

4MS Dhoni (2014)

4Virat Kohli (2020-21)

4Rohit Sharma (2024)*

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s endless technical problems against pace and spin raised alarm bells as the Indian batters capitulated twice in just 81 overs to lose the ‘pink ball’ Test against the Australia with a margin of 10 wickets on the third. day.

Australia maintained their unblemished record in the day/night Tests and leveled the five-match series 1-1, bouncing back in style from their debacle in Perth.

This is the shortest ever Test between India and Australia in terms of balls bowled. Only 1,031 balls were thrown out of a possible total of 2,700 legal deliveries.

Starting the day at 128 for 5, Nitish Kumar Reddy’s (42) cavalier approach prevented a second consecutive innings defeat under the Adelaide lights as India were bowled out for 175.

Australia needed just 19 runs and completed the formalities in just 3.2 overs.

India’s second innings lasted just 36.5 overs, with skipper Pat Cummins using the short ball effectively to claim 5 for 57. Scott Boland (3/51) inflicted early damage, while Mitchell Starc (2/60) contributed with crucial wickets.

Such was the dominance of Australia’s top three quicks that Cummins didn’t even need Mitchell Marsh and Nathan Lyon to roll his arms in the second innings.

In fact, the specialist spinner and all-rounder only bowled five overs between them in the entire match.

After an easy 295-run victory in Perth, the Indian batting unit won’t be too amused to learn that they survived a total of 81 overs in the two innings, which is not even a full day batting test match.

(With PTI inputs)