Rohit Sharma – 3.5/10

Rohit was under scrutiny throughout the game for his captaincy. His decision to not pick R Ashwin was debated, and not adopting a short-ball tactic against Travis Head early on was criticised. Rohit could have manoeuvred his bowlers better, giving them shorter spells, and decided to take a defensive approach in the field throughout. He scored a 60-ball 43 in the second innings to give his side a solid start in a stiff run chase, but India needed more.

Shubman Gill: 3/10

Two starts, but Gill couldn’t carry on. He was controversially given out in the second innings but looked in fine flow before the dismissal. The youngster was in a purple patch in the recent IPL but was unable to carry forward his form.

Cheteshwar Pujara: 3.5/10

A lot was expected of Pujara, who was leading Sussex for the last few months in the County Championship and was acclimated to the conditions. However, he was a significant letdown, scoring 14 in the first innings before an uncharacteristic shot led to his downfall in the second.

Virat Kohli: 4/10

Kohli looked confident when he was out in the middle but was unable to get a big score, making 14 and 49. He was bounced out by Mitchell Starc in the first innings, and made technical tweaks to his stance in the second innings – standing six inches back in his crease. He fought well on day four, reaching 44 at stumps, but his dismissal by a nothing short early on Sunday spelt doom.

Ajinkya Rahane: 7/10

Rahane was making a comeback to the Test team following a splendid IPL 2023. He provided respectability to the first innings, with a 129-ball 89, and stitched important stands with Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur. He played the rescue act once again with Kohli in the second leg, but when India needed him to carry on, he ended up nicking a wild drive.

Ravindra Jadeja: 6/10

Jadeja used the rough to his advantage in the second innings and was the most successful bowler for the side, taking 3-58. He also grabbed one wicket in the first to end with four. The left-hander once again played his part with the bat after the fall of early wickets, scoring a 51-ball 48 to help take the side from 71-4 to 142-5 in the first innings. However, he was out for a duck in the second innings as India crumbled.

Shardul Thakur: 6/10

Thakur equalled Don Bradman’s record at the Kia Oval with his third successive fifty at the venue in the first innings, which kept India in the hunt. His selection was a matter of much debate after he kept out Ashwin from the XI. He went for runs but in characteristic fashion, got David Warner and Steven Smith when few expected it. He was economical in the second, but went wicketless and also did not get a score in the chase

Umesh Yadav: 3/10

Umesh, picked over Jaydev Unadkat, helped Australia break the shackles in the first innings, with an expensive spell upfront, including giving five fours in his first two overs. He dismissed Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne in the second innings but was unable to keep his control consistently.

Mohammed Shami: 5/10

Shami was sensational with the new ball, with his seam position often troubling the batters upfront. However, the lack of a formidable backup meant that he bowled 45.3 overs during the game, and he lacked steam by the end.

Mohammed Siraj: 5.5/10

Siraj shouldered a majority of the fast bowling duties and was excellent with his lines and lengths. He bowled some top-quality spells, including bowling snorters to Labuschagne to wake him up from his slumber when he walked out to bat on day three. But he also proved expensive.