India, Dec. 30 -- For two sessions, in front of a record crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Day 5 of the Boxing Day Test, all of India held its collective breath as the team displayed a sense of balance that had gone missing from its bravado-filled approach in recent times.

Then, in a manic last session, triggered by Rishabh Pant's rash stroke, India lost their last seven wickets for 34 runs in the space of 20.3 overs. The 184-run defeat means India go into the last Test at Sydney down 1-2 in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series.

In the morning session, the openers had batted carefully - putting on 25 runs in 16 overs even as the Aussie pacers were putting on a show. Skipper Rohit Sharma (9 off 40 balls) was particularly circumspect....