Indian cricket fans are still reeling from the team’s crushing 1-3 defeat in the five-match Test series against Australia.
Once dominant in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with historic wins over the mighty Aussies in the past decade, the tourists fell short, exposing vulnerabilities in a side long thought invincible.
The series highlighted the glaring problems – the Indian batsmen were struggling, and Jasprit Bumrah he was the only bowler to trouble Australia.
The defeat not only cost India the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but also denied them a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, ending their streak of back-to-back appearances in 2021 and 2023, where they lost to New Zealand and Australia respectively.
India’s recent form has been worrying – they have lost six of their last eight Tests, including a shocking 0-3 at home whitewash against New Zealand.
The defeats have raised questions about the squad’s depth, the future of key players such as captain Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli, and their ability to rebuild.
With a team in transition and attitudes fading, Indian Test cricket faces pressing challenges to maintain its legacy in a rapidly evolving landscape.
India’s next red-ball challenge is the five-Test series in England starting in July. The conditions in England, known to change dramatically even within a single session, will test players’ technique, skills and adaptability to the limit.
India have not won a series in England since 2007, with just two previous wins (1971, 1986), underscoring the daunting task ahead. Adding to the pressure, recent setbacks against New Zealand and Australia leave the selectors grappling with tough decisions on player selection and team combinations for this critical campaign.
The biggest headache for the selectors is the form of stalwarts Sharma and Kohli after poor spells in Australia and earlier against New Zealand.
Sharma managed just 31 runs in the three Tests in Australia and his poor form saw him sit out the last match. Kohli did a little better with 190 runs in nine innings, but 100 runs of the total came all at once. His dismissals followed a pattern – caught in the slips or behind the stumps – indicating an obvious technical error or mental fatigue under pressure.
Since January 2024, Sharma has only managed 619 runs in 16 Tests with one century. Kohli’s numbers have gotten worse over time – an average of 32 in Tests since 2020 with just two centuries.
Once a late Test opener and a brilliant match-winner, Sharma is now trying to find his ideal batting position. Meanwhile, Kohli’s surreal decline – after decades of dominance and swagger – has left the former titan of cricket in a prolonged crisis.
From Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin Tendulkar to Kohli, the baton of Indian batting greatness has been flawless. But a worthy successor to Kohli remains elusive.
KL Rahul has class but lacks the hunger to consistently score big. Rishabh Pant is an exciting maverick, equally capable of winning or losing a match. Hailed as the next big thing, Shubman Gill has struggled overseas despite his undeniable pedigree and needs careful nurturing.
Punjab’s young left-armer Abhishek Sharma, mentored by Yuvraj Singh, is highly rated while Nitish Kumar Reddy impressed on debut in Australia with his fearless performances in tough situations.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, India’s leading Test run-scorer in Australia in this series, was the best of the young batsmen. With skill, patience, technical assurance and explosive moves, he looks set to become Kohli’s successor as the team’s talisman.
India’s talent pool is brimming with departments. Jasprit Bumrah, with his 32 wickets against Australia, cemented his status as a fast bowling colossus. Backed by Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and a dozen promising hitters, India boast an incredible pace arsenal across formats.
Still, Bumrah is a once-in-a-generation talent and needs careful workload management. Overloading, as in the Australia series, risks malfunctions that could prevent an attack. Shami, after long stints in rehab, also requires careful handling. Together they form one of the most formidable pairings in modern cricket.
With Ravichandran Ashwin’s sudden retirement and Ravindra Jadeja’s lackluster performance in Australia, India’s spin depth looks weak. However, Washington Sundar shows promise on home turf, while young spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Tanush Kotian, who joined the team midway through the series in Australia, are knocking on the door of Test cricket.
Smarting from recent losses to New Zealand and Australia, the Indian cricket board is moving quickly to begin the transition. The selectors have been briefed on the shortlist of potential Test players from the second round of the domestic Ranji Trophy, which resumes on January 23.
All the players, including Sharma and Kohli, are likely to be asked to play domestic cricket – a move that could help them regain their form.
Managing a team in transition poses complex challenges that require patience, empathy and a clear vision. Reactionary reactions or external pressure can make the situation worse rather than providing solutions.
Whether Sharma and Kohli can overcome their crisis remains to be seen, but the wealth of Indian talent should dispel the current gloom surrounding Indian cricket.
It is worth recalling that in 2011, after winning the ODI World Cup, India were beaten 4-0 in the Test series against England and Australia. Cricket seemed to have hit rock bottom.
But, within a few months, a revival led by young talents like Kohli, Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Jadeja, Ashwin and others saw India rise to the world’s best team in all formats, holding that position for almost a decade.
