Why Indian Test cricket is in trouble

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 victories over the mighty Australians over the past decade, the tourists have fallen short, exposing the vulnerabilities of a team long thought invincible.

The series highlighted glaring issues: Indian batsmen struggled and jasprit bumrah He was the only player to cause problems for 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, breaking their streak of consecutive appearances in 2021 and 2023, where they lost to New Zealand and Australia respectively.

India’s recent form is worrying: they have lost six of their last eight Tests, including a shocking 0-3 at home. whitewash against New Zealand.

The losses have raised questions about the team’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 stalwart members disappearing, Indian Test cricket faces pressing challenges to maintain its legacy in a rapidly evolving landscape.

India’s next challenge is a five-Test series in England starting in July. England’s conditions, known for dramatic changes even within a session, will test players’ technique, skills and adaptability to the limit.

India have not won a series in England since 2007, with only two previous victories (1971, 1986), underscoring the enormous task ahead. Adding to the pressure, recent failures against New Zealand and Australia leave selectors grappling with difficult decisions over player selection and team combinations for this critical campaign.

The biggest headache for the selectors is how to bat for stalwarts Sharma and Kohli after dismal outings in Australia and earlier against New Zealand.

Sharma managed just 31 runs in three Tests in Australia, and his poor form saw him dropped in the last game. Kohli fared little better with 190 runs in nine innings, but 100 runs of his total came in one fell swoop. Their dismissals followed a pattern – caught in the slips or behind the stumps – that points to glaring technical failure or mental fatigue under pressure.

Since January 2024, Sharma has managed just 619 runs in 16 Tests with one century. Kohli’s numbers are getting worse with time: an average of 32 in Tests since 2020 with just two centuries.

Once a late Test opener and match-winner, Sharma is now struggling to find his ideal batting position. Meanwhile, Kohli’s surreal decline, after a decade of dominance and arrogance, has left the former cricket titan in a prolonged crisis.

From Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli, the baton of Indian batting greatness has passed smoothly. But it remains difficult to find a worthy successor to Kohli.

KL Rahul has class, but he lacks the hunger to consistently achieve big results. Rishabh Pant is an exciting maverick, equally capable of winning or losing a match. Shubman Gill, touted as the next big thing, has struggled overseas despite his undeniable pedigree and needs careful nurturing.

Young Punjab left-hander Abhishek Sharma, who is mentored by Yuvraj Singh, is highly rated, while Nitish Kumar Reddy impressed on his debut in Australia with his brave performances in difficult situations.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, India’s leading Test run-scorer in Australia in this series, has stood out among the young batsmen. With panache, patience, technical assurance and explosive hitting, he looks set to become Kohli’s successor as the team’s talisman.

India’s talent pool is stacked in all departments. Jasprit Bumrah, with his 32-wicket haul against Australia, has cemented his status as a fast bowling colossus. Backed by Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and a dozen promising quicks, India have a formidable pace arsenal across all formats.

That said, Bumrah is a once-in-a-generation talent and needs careful workload management. Overloading it, as in the Australian series, runs the risk of breakdowns that could impede the attack. Shami, after long periods in rehabilitation, also requires careful treatment. Together, they form one of the most formidable pace pairs in modern cricket.

With Ravichandran Ashwin’s sudden retirement and Ravindra Jadeja’s tepid performance in Australia, the depth of India’s spin seems thin. However, Washington Sundar has shown promise on the home pitch, while youngsters Ravi Bishnoi and Tanush Kotian, who joined the team midway through the series in Australia, are knocking on the doors of Test cricket.

Stung by recent defeats to New Zealand and Australia, the Indian cricket board is moving quickly to initiate a transition. The selectors have been directed to shortlist potential Test players for the second round of the domestic Ranji Trophy, which will resume 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 form.

Managing a team in transition poses complex challenges that require patience, empathy, and a clear vision. Knee-jerk reactions or external pressure could make the situation worse instead of providing solutions.

It remains to be seen whether Sharma and Kohli can overcome their crisis, but India’s wealth of talent should dispel the current pessimism surrounding Indian cricket.

It is worth remembering that in 2011, after winning the ODI World Cup, India were whitewashed 4-0 in the Test series against England and Australia. Cricket seemed to hit rock bottom.

But, in a matter of months, a resurgence led by young talents like Kohli, Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Jadeja, Ashwin and others saw India rise to become the best team in the world across all formats, maintaining that position for almost a decade.