AUS vs IND, 4th Test: Rohit focusses on fine-tuning defence ahead of Boxing Day clash

A city that can throw up four seasons in a single day decided to stick to the straight and the narrow on Tuesday. Melbourne’s whimsical skies turned a bright shade of blue, the sunlight was of the blinding type, hardly a leaf stirred, and as the dry heat rose, a whiff of eucalyptus scent wafted in from the trees of the same name in the vicinity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In this afternoon of oppressive warmth, while the rest of the city slipped into Christmas-eve mode, Rohit Sharma’s men turned up to train. The fans, standing on the mezzanine floor, had a bird’s eye view and at times yelled ‘Kohli’, ‘Bumrah’ and ‘Rohit’, much to the discomfort of the players fine-tuning their craft. He exchanged notes with Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, and when it appeared as if he might not bat, Rohit strode into the net and spent a long session against throwdowns.