Gautam Gambhir has been facing backlash over India's 1-3 Test series loss to Australia in the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Virat Kohli unsuccessfully did everything in his power to recapture his previous glory in the loss to Australia and it leaves him and India needing answers to some tough questions.

The SCG pitch for the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India, which was dominated by pace bowlers who gained lavish seam movement and some uneven bounce, has been rated "satisfactory" by the ICC match referee, and Cricket Australia has termed it a "step in the right direction" for surfaces at the venue.

India hit more sixes, but unlike in the past, they scored lower in playing out time and stitching fifty-run stands

India won the toss and chose to bat first in the decisive fifth and final test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Australia’s star batter of a generation Steve Smith fell just short of an illustrious career milestone and a Jasprit Bumrah-led India took the advantage on the second day of the fifth and final test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy was the most challenging Test series for batters in Australia in recent times. The batting average of 24.32 is the lowest of 38 Test series of three or more matches in Australia since the Australia-Pakistan series in November-December 1995.

Team India will switch focus to the limited-overs formats after the conclusion of a forgettable Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia. Limited-overs series against England, and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy will now be the focus for Rohit Sharm and Co.

India's 3-1 defeat in Australia exposed the fragility of their top order, but equally unmissable was how much they rely on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who gave it all until he broke down in the series finale in Sydney.

The hyped Australia-India Test series was a commercial success but it was a bittersweet feeling for smaller cricket nations unable to regularly play the expensive format.

Credit: Albert Perez - CA/Cricket Australia via The festive season is over, but there is no need to be down about the prospect of normality returning. The final Test match in the series between Australia and India is here to brighten the moods of fans around the world.

Sam Konstas threw the Indians off with his unorthodox approach in his first innings, but then found out Test cricket runs are harder to get than headlines.