What were the major factors that led to India's defeat in Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia?

The final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy concluded in just three days with Australia emerging as the victorious team on Sunday. This outcome was unexpected especially considering that the last three India-Australia Test matches at the Sydney Cricket Ground had ended in draws requiring five days of play.

The addition of an extra layer of grass on the pitch may have played a role in ensuring a result this time around. India's poor record at the SCG in Tests continued with the team suffering their sixth defeat at the venue in 14 matches. The only Test victory for India in Sydney came in 1978 when Erapalli Prasanna's exceptional performance led to an innings and two runs win.

This tour has been disappointing for the Indian team especially after their previous successful Test tours in Australia. Conceding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia after a decade of dominance highlights the challenges faced by the team.

The defeat in Sydney is particularly hard to accept especially considering the strong start to the tour with a 295-run victory in Perth under Jasprit Bumrah's leadership. However, the team struggled in subsequent matches winning only one of their last eight Test matches and losing their lead in the World Test Championship standings.

During the post-match press conference, head coach Gautam Gambhir acknowledged that the team's downfall was a collective issue. Senior players failed to take responsibility while younger players struggled to fulfill their potential.

Following the Perth Test, there was a reshuffling of the batting order to accommodate regular captain Rohit Sharma. Rohit took on the No.6 position where he had started his Test career. Despite the impressive 201-run partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul in Perth Rohit did not disrupt the opening pair.

However, when Rohit struggled in the middle order he made the decision to return to opening the innings with Jaiswal. This resulted in KL Rahul moving to No.3 and unfortunately led to Shubman Gill being dropped from the team for the Boxing-Day Test in Melbourne. The decision backfired as Rohit only managed to score 3 and 9 contributing to his disappointing total of 31 runs from five innings at an average of 6.20.

Realizing his lack of runs Rohit made the commendable decision to drop himself from the team in Sydney although some may argue it was a bit late. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli started the tour with his 30th Test hundred in Perth but struggled to maintain that form scoring only 85 runs in the next seven innings at an average of 12.14. Even Shubman Gill, who played a crucial role in the Gabba win only managed 93 runs in five innings at 18.60.

On a positive note, newcomers Yashasvi Jaiswal (391 runs at 43.44) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (298 runs at 37.25) performed decently during their first tour in Australia. The bowling department heavily relied on Jasprit Bumrah throughout the series and his absence was sorely felt during the crucial moment in Sydney when India needed to defend 162 runs. Unfortunately, a back spasm injury prevented him from bowling. Bumrah finished the tour with an impressive 32 wickets at an average of 13.06, including three five-wicket hauls.

Mohammed Siraj provided valuable support taking 20 wickets at an average of 31.15. However, India faced challenges due to the absence of a reliable third seamer as Mohammed Shami's fitness issues posed a threat to their success. Harshit Rana, though impressive in Perth struggled in Adelaide. Nitish Kumar Reddy's performance with the ball did not match his batting prowess falling short of the standards set by Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya.

The team selection during the tour raised constant questions particularly the inclusion of two spin-bowling all-rounders in the final two Tests. However, they were underutilized in Sydney with Washington Sundar bowling just one over when the game was slipping away from India. The timing of Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement also sparked debate as his spin-bowling skills could have been beneficial in Melbourne and Sydney.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir faces numerous challenges ahead, with six months to address them before India's next Test series against England in June. Players struggling for form are encouraged to return to domestic cricket to regain their rhythm as emphasized by Gambhir in a recent press conference.

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