IND vs AUS 2024: 3 players who flopped and 2 who starred in the 5th BGT 2024-25 Test ft. Shubman Gill & Virat Kohli

India surrendered the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in meek fashion as they went down to Australia by six wickets in the fifth and final Test. The home crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground cheered their team on as they wrapped up the contest in under three days.

With the defeat, India are out of the reckoning for the final of the World Test Championship. Most of their players failed to deliver in the all-important Sydney Test, although a couple did fight hard.

On that note, here are three players who flopped and two who starred in the fifth Test between India and Australia.

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#5 Flop - Ravindra Jadeja

BORDER GAVASKAR TROPHY TEST: JAN 05 fifth NRMA Insurance Test - Source: Getty

Playing as one of two spinners on a green top in Sydney, Ravindra Jadeja didn't have much to do with the ball. With the bat, though, there was plenty of scope for him to make an impact.

Sadly for India, Jadeja couldn't get going in either innings. Despite the conditions being extremely difficult for batting, with the Aussie fast bowlers getting considerable seam movement in both directions, he didn't try to be proactive and take risks.

The left-hander was more than happy to defend from his crease, meaning that there was eventually a ball that sent him back to the hut. It was a disappointing display of game awareness from a player who has been on the international circuit for nearly two decades.

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#4 Star - Rishabh Pant

Australia v India - Men's 5th Test Match: Day 2 - Source: Getty

Rishabh Pant had been incredibly poor in the first four Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but he came into his own with the series on the line in Sydney. He hung around in the first innings before playing an ill-advised pull shot off Scott Boland and decided that he had to revert to his ultra-attacking approach in the second essay.

Pant smashed an incredible half-century that gave India a decent lead and some hope in the contest. While it wasn't enough, it was a brilliant display of batting from a player who had underwhelmed throughout the rubber until then.

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#3 Flop - Virat Kohli

BOXING DAY TEST: DEC 07 NRMA Insurance Day-Night Test - Source: Getty

The same old story continued for Virat Kohli, as he nicked off in both innings. The superstar batter refused to change his ways once again and was constantly dragged onto the front foot against balls he should have waited for.

India needed Kohli to step up with the series on the line, but he once again couldn't. Serious questions need to be asked of his place in the side during the next edition of the World Test Championship.

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#2 Star - Prasidh Krishna

Australia v India - Men's 5th Test Match: Day 3 - Source: Getty

Coming into the team in place of the injured Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna was one of the few Indian bowlers who asked questions of the Australian batters on a consistent basis. He did bowl plenty of boundary deliveries, as evidenced by his economy rate, but he also threatened to pick up regular breakthroughs.

Prasidh's ability to extract steep bounce and generate movement in both directions was one of India's biggest weapons in Sydney. His three-wicket burst on Day 3 threatened to spoil the Australian party, but it wasn't to be.

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#1 Flop - Shubman Gill

BORDER GAVASKAR TROPHY TEST: JAN 03 fifth NRMA Insurance Test - Source: Getty

Coming back into the team in place of the under-fire Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill manned the important No. 3 role once again. However, the young batter couldn't get himself among the runs, largely due to his own brainfades.

In the first innings, Gill needlessly danced down off Nathan Lyon to be caught at slip. His propensity to charge down the track was exposed in the second innings as well, as he hoicked one across the line, only to get an inside edge that was snaffled by Alex Carey.

Gill has been active in the Test circuit for quite a while now and needs to make better decisions.