Australia has been urged to find its mean streak to avoid a shock series loss to an Indian side missing skipper Virat Kohli after surrendering inside four days in Melbourne.
Australia's shell-shocked batsmen will be told to dial up the aggression in the third Test as captain Tim Paine pointed out that even Sir Donald Bradman suffered slumps like Steve Smith is in.
Back-to-back failures by the top seven – which also dropped six catches in the field – meant Paine’s attack was required to bowl, bat and catch as the Aussies bombed out in the Boxing Day Test.
“We played pretty poor cricket, pretty sloppy cricket for the majority of the match,” Paine conceded.
With injured opener David Warner batting outside the MCG in the nets instead of in the middle, the Aussies crawled to 200 in the second innings at a run-rate of 1.94 against a walking wounded attack.
The eight-wicket loss to India was the first time the Aussies have completed a home Test without a batsman posting a half-century since the 1988 Boxing Day bout against West Indies.
PLAYER RATINGS: WHICH AUSSIES FLOPPED IN MCG UPSET?
Smith’s longest innings in all formats this summer is 64 balls, and the master batsman has admitted to teammates that he has played far too defensively against spin nemesis Ravi Ashwin.
But even Bradman made back-to-back ducks in the 1936-37 Ashes, before pounding 270, 212 and 169 in the same series, and Paine warned Smith would also bounce back.
Opener Matthew Wade will be encouraged to sweep India’s spinners aside while other top-order players will be instructed to start moving their feet – a tactic India’s batsmen have used to blunt Nathan Lyon.
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India became the first touring nation to win consecutive Boxing Day Tests since England in 1982 and 1986.
While Travis Head was the only top-six batsman who played in both 2018 and 2020, both of India’s commanding victories have come on the back of brittle batting performances by Paine's team.
A combined crowd of 89,472 attended the MCG across four days as Victorians watched live sport at their favourite venue for the first time in 293 days.
India captain Ajinkya Rahane – who smacked the winning runs to back up his game-changing century – won the inaugural Mullagh Medal as man of the match.
India entered without captain Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma and lost Umesh Yadav (calf) early in the second innings, only to convert last week’s embarrassing total of 36 into a famous victory.
India will now mull another three changes – tempted to bring in Sharma and KL Rahul – as well as having to replace Yadav.
Opener Mayank Agaral (averaging 7.8 this series) looked all at sea compared to debutant Shubman Gill and will probably be dropped.
That could see four survivors from the Adelaide Oval disaster just two Tests later – Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujara and captain Ajinkya Rahane.
Paine was frustrated the “sloppy” Aussies gave Gill and Rahane two costly lives each.
It appeared the skipper brought his cordon slightly closer to the stumps, heightening the difficulty of most chances.
“India are bowling well. They’ve been extremely disciplined (and) we haven’t been able to get partnerships together,” Paine said.
“But from what I’ve seen watching Marnus and Steve Smith in their Test careers this is not the first time teams have targeted their stumps.
“That happens every single Test match.
“These guys (India) are executing it better and someone like Steve in particular just hasn’t been able to get in yet.
“Once he does he’ll find a way as he generally always has and the rest of us will follow suit.
“We need to improve, but these aren’t plans we’re encountering for the first time.”
AUSSIES TAKE A HIT IN THE POCKET
Australia has been slugged with a massive fine and the loss of four World Test Championship points for a slow over-rate against India in the second Test.
The Australians have been fined 40 per cent of their match fees after match referee David Boon declared Tim Paine’s side were two overs short of where they should have been.
Under ICC guidelines, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over the team fails to bowl in time.
The ICC has also docked Australia of four points on the World Test Championship table, but it’s hard to gauge whether that’s a major blow given administrators changed the rules mid tournament to pick finalists based on percentage of points rather than outright points.
For example, India already leads Australia on points, yet Australia is currently on top in the Test championship because of their superior percentage.
Australian captain Paine pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted the sanction handed down.
Slow over rates were also an issue in the limited overs series earlier this summer, with India punished on that occasion.
■ RECAP DAY FOUR AND ALL THE REACTION IN OUR BLOG BELOW
Thanks for following our blog during the second Test of the Australia v India series!
It's going to be an exciting finish to the series in the next two Tests after India's rally in Melbourne.
Can Australia rebound from a disappointing effort in Sydney – or even Melbourne again?
We'll have you covered on News Corp websites when the decision is made and with all the team news from both camps.
Until then, have a Happy New Year!
While all the focus has been on David Warner's recovery, Will Pucovski could give Australia's batting a much-needed boost in the third Test.
Check out the best of India's eight-wicket victory over Australia at the MCG.
Chasing 70 runs for victory, India wasted little time – attacking the Aussie bowlers to level the #AUSvIND series within 16 overs.
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 29, 2020
WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS 👇 pic.twitter.com/QUmBPwqTRm
Ravi Ashwin has praised the calming influence of India's stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane after he was named man of the match in the series-squaring victory.
"We are quite a proud cricketing country and losing Virat was a set back for the team but we stuck at it really well," he said on Channel 7.
"All of us got – we have got a great bonding inside the team and Jinks calmness inside the team and Jinks'(Rahane's) calmness in the dressing room provided us stability to go out there and perform."
We're not certain where the third Test will be yet but the groundspeople are out in the middle of the MCG checking out the deck from the Boxing Day Test already!
Ajinkya Rahane, who has been named player of the match: "I'm really proud of all the players…I thought for us character was really important going into this Test match."
On Umesh Yadav and Rohit Sharma: "Umesh is actually recovering well…we have time before the Third test match. We are excited about Rohit coming back into the Test team."
Tim Paine: "Obviously we are very disappointed. We played pretty poor cricket and sloppy cricket for much of the test match. That's to take nothing away from India."
Dirk Nannes on ABC: "I don't think Australia can actually expect too much more out of their bowling department…this is really a Test series about whose batting can stand up."
"I don't think the Australian batters are necessarily getting Australia into this series and they need to step up."
Merv Hughes on ABC: "You can't be making 200 in both innings of a Test match and expect to win it."
"There's got to be changes. After being out for 200…three scores less than 200, there must be changes."
Chris Rogers on SEN: "Steve Smith, in particular, I think is searching a little bit. But equally you feel at some stage he's going to have a big influence on this series.
"Marnus Labuschagne is an interesting one…he's still kind of working through the early parts of his career but he's been a big-time player already."
Sunil Gavaskar on Channel 7: "To come back in the manner they did, the spirit they have shown, and the determination to show they didn't lie down and let Australia walk over them, that was fantastic to see."
Ricky Ponting on Channel 7: "They have to do what India did coming into this week. There is soul searching to do. Justin Langer will be disappointed with the output with a lot of players this week."
Ponting on Australia's batting issues: "They have looked frail and fragile with their batting and looked tentative. We saw (the) Indian batsmen today go out and play hooks and pull shots all afternoon against our attack.
"We looked tentative and let the Indian bowlers dictate to us. That's not the way Australian teams play. Expect personnel changes but there could be a mind set change in there could be a mind set change in the way Australia play their cricket in the third Test as well."
Joy for the Indians who have completed a huge turnaround without their skipper Virat Kohli with an emphatic win in Melbourne.
How fitting Ajinkya Rahane was at the crease after setting up the win with his gutsy first innings hundred as Kohli's captaincy replacement.
Shubman Gill showed plenty of class to finish with 35 from 36 balls in the second innings and looks a player with a huge future.
India 2-70
India wins the second Test, levels series at 1-1.
"Bring on the third Test, wherever that may be!"
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 29, 2020
Congratulations, India! Massive 8 wicket victory in the Boxing Day Test 💪 #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Rk2TUF2Gf1
Australia has added to its five drops in the first innings with another two in this short burst – albeit a very tough one put down by Matthew Wade in close.
The latest was Mitchell Starc, who has shelled a diving chance in the deep off Nathan Lyon to get rid of Rahane.
11 to win.
Ajinkya Rahane and Shubman Gill are going at close to a run a ball as India closes in on victory.
Ricky Ponting called this the shot of the Test from the Indian skipper and you can see why.
India is 2-57 needing 13 to win.
Captain Rahane is out there giving the Bharat Army plenty to cheer about 👏👏👏 #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/HSXG75jDwS
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 29, 2020
India has got to the magic number – 36 – for the loss of only two wickets.
Australia did take 10-36 in Adelaide and only needs 8-33 here to win the Test.
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