India's defeat in the concluding session of the MCG Test against Australia has significantly diminished their prospects of retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, as stated by former head coach Ravi Shastri. Despite entering the tour following two consecutive Test series victories in Australia, it is now evident that they will not achieve a historic third consecutive win on Australian soil, with the best outcome for India in the series being a 2-2 draw.

Although such a draw would suffice for them to keep the trophy, Shastri believes that India may have relinquished their hold on it due to the manner of their loss in Melbourne. "It was remarkable to witness Indian fans who traveled from various parts of the world to experience Test cricket at its finest at the 'G,'" Shastri remarked in his column for the Daily Telegraph.

"Regrettably, some poor shot selection during critical moments of the final day's middle session ultimately cost India the match. This likely indicates that India may have lost their grip on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with one Test remaining."

‘Cummins raises his game to 8 or 9 when against his counterpart’

Shastri indicated that certain players will face examination following their dismissals in Melbourne. The former captain of India, who is currently part of the commentary team for the series, further remarked that it does not benefit India’s captain Rohit Sharma that, while he is experiencing a decline in form, his counterpart Pat Cummins appears to elevate his performance to an "8 or 9" when competing against him.

"There will be several dismissals from the second innings that will be closely analyzed in India, particularly those involving two senior players and a younger player. These were three notably careless shots. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that one of these dismissals involved the captain, who is currently struggling. Additionally, it does not aid the situation that Cummins seems to enhance his performance significantly when facing his counterpart, who is performing at the opposite end of the spectrum."

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