Rohit Sharma rued India's inability to seize crucial moments after they were beaten in the fourth Test by Australia.

The tourists were unable to save the game on day five as they lost seven wickets for just 34 runs in the final session, meaning they must win the final match in Sydney to avoid a series defeat.

Rohit's side had Australia 90-6 in the second innings and looked on course to be chasing something manageable before the hosts rallied to score 234, setting a total of 340, and realistically removing any chance of an away victory.

India's captain reflected on that being among several missed opportunities to turn the Test in their favour.

Rohit said: "It is pretty disappointing. It's not that we went in with the intent of giving up the fight. We wanted to fight until the end and unfortunately we couldn't do it.

"If you look at the overall Test match, we had our chances but we didn't take them. We had Australia 90-6. We know things can get tough, but we want to play tough cricket from hard situations. I don't want to look at one situation.

"We knew 340 wasn't going to be easy. We tried to set a platform and keep wickets in hand for the last two sessions, but they bowled perfectly as well.

"We wanted to go for the target, but we didn't set the platform from our side. There are ways to win games and we fell short."

#TeamIndia fought hard

Australia win the match

Scorecard https://t.co/njfhCncRdL #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/n0W1symPkM
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 30, 2024

The second-innings collapse means India have been bowled out for less than 160 six times in 2024, the joint-most for them in a calendar year.

While Yashavi Jaiswal continues to impress at the top of the order, becoming just the second batter in Test history to score 80+ in both innings of an MCG Test this week, it has been a struggle for Rohit, who has failed to pass 10 in any of his five innings in this series.

Rishabh Pant has also received criticism after being caught scooping in the first innings and hitting out to wide long-on when attempting to save the game in the second, having scored just 30 runs from 104 balls.

Of Pant's efforts, Rohit said: "Rishabh Pant obviously needs to understand what is required from himself.

"More than any one of us telling him, it's about him understanding and figuring out what's the right way to go about it. In the past, he has given us lot of success doing what he does.

"As a captain, there's a kind of mixed reaction to that. Sometimes you want to back that thought of him playing the way he plays. Sometimes when things don't look good, it frustrates everyone. That is what it is, that's the reality."

The fifth Test begins on Friday, with India still able to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy if they win.