3 Indian players who flopped in the 4th Test vs Australia
The fourth and final Test against Australia ended in a draw, but Team India clinched the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by a 2-1 margin and sealed their spot in the final of the World Test Championship.
Virat Kohli was the star of the show in Ahmedabad as he notched up a stellar century to walk away with the Player-of-the-Match award. Shubman Gill recorded his second Test century and Axar Patel played an important knock, while Ravichandran Ashwin bowled a superb spell in the first innings.
However, others failed to deliver in the final clash of the series. Here are three Indian players who flopped in the fourth Test against Australia.
#3 Rohit Sharma
It might be harsh to label Rohit Sharma a flop, but he did record the second-lowest score among India's top seven in the first innings. The Indian skipper made 35 off 58, a knock that included three fours and a mighty six over fine leg, before falling victim to Matthew Kuhnemann in tame fashion.
A regulation-length delivery coaxed Rohit into playing a loose backfoot punch, which settled into Marnus Labuschagne's hands at cover. The opener had to watch from the dugout as all the following batters, barring Ravindra Jadeja, cashed in on the friendly conditions on offer in Ahmedabad.
Rohit also couldn't come up with any interesting tactics in the first innings as Australia amassed 480. Had it not been for Ravichandran Ashwin's superb control and guile, the hosts might not have managed a first-innings lead.
However, it must be said that Rohit did end up with the trophy and played important knocks in the previous games.
#2 Umesh Yadav
Umesh Yadav was one of the hosts' best performers in their defeat in Indore. He got the ball to move around threateningly and made some important lower-order runs as well. However, his form completely deserted him in Ahmedabad.
Umesh bowled 25 overs in the first innings, and control wasn't his best friend as he leaked 105 runs without ever looking like he would provide breakthroughs. Only Mohammad Shami had a higher economy rate, but the pacer at least managed to prise out two important Aussie batters.
Umesh was also run out without facing a ball. Virat Kohli demanded a lot of him with a quickly run two, but the fast bowler didn't do himself any favors by turning like an 18-wheeler truck.
Umesh has become one of India's most important players in home conditions, but he wasn't the best version of himself in the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
#1 Ravindra Jadeja
Halfway through the assignment, it seemed like Ravindra Jadeja would run away with the Player of the Series award for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But he ended up having to share the accolade with Ravichandran Ashwin, and his performances in the final two Tests reflected why.
In Ahmedabad, Jadeja's form hit its lowest point. He picked up only one wicket in the match, that of Steve Smith in the first innings, and struggled to deceive the Aussie batters either in the air or off the pitch.
Jadeja couldn't make an impact with the bat either. The all-rounder spooned a catch to mid-off after making just 28, the lowest score among any of India's top seven. He was understandably disappointed with his performance, as was revealed in the post-match presentation.
However, Jadeja was one of the architects behind the hosts holding on to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.