"They've thrown a shoulder barge, but haven't been able to throw a punch back" - Former England captain trolls India over BGT 2024-25 debacle

Former England captain Michael Vaughan reckons Australia dominated India in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy barring the first Test in Perth. Reflecting on the 3-1 series scoreline in Australia's favor, Vaughan cheekily commented that India threw a shoulder barge at Australia, but were unsuccessful in throwing a punch back.

Australia reclaimed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years, thumping India by six wickets at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Sunday, January 5. Resuming their second innings at 141-6, the visitors were bundled out for 157. The Aussies then cruised home in a chase of 162 in just 27 overs.

Sharing his thoughts on the India-Australia series, Vaughan opined that India were 'blown away' after their unexpected win in Perth and just couldn't find a way to get the better of the Aussies for the rest of the series. Speaking on the Club Prairie Fire Podcast, the former England captain commented:

"India win the first game in Perth, played great. Since then, they've been blown away, really... You've got to say this series, as much as it's been brilliant cricket, a lot of it, particularly the last three games, has been very one-sided. Australia has managed to get the upper hand and play some great cricket and India have not been able to find a way of kind of throwing a punch back.

"They've thrown a shoulder barge back, but they haven't been able to throw a punch back," the 50-year-old went on to add.

Team India was heavily dependent on lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah right through the series. The 31-year-old came up with a magnificent performance, claiming 32 wickets at an average of 13.06, which included three five-fers and two four-fers. However, he was unable to bowl on Day 3 of the SCG Test due to back spasms.

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Big guns Kohli and Rohit let India down in BGT 2024-25

Senior batter Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma failed to make an impact in BGT 2024-25, which hurt the visitors in a big way. Kohli scored 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75. He hit an unbeaten hundred in Perth but kept perishing to deliveries outside off stump right through the series.

Rohit, who missed the first Test due to personal reasons, ended up scoring just 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20. He opted out of the last Test in Sydney owing to his horrendous batting form.