Despair from glory: The decline of India’s Test cricket supremacy

Indian cricket fans are still in shock over 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 Australians in the last decade, the tourists have fallen short, exposing the weaknesses of a team long considered invincible.

The series highlighted serious issues – the Indian batsmen struggled, and Jasprit Bumrah He was the only bowler to trouble Australia.

The defeat not only deprived India of the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy but also deprived them of a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, breaking their run of consecutive performances in 2021 and 2023, where They lost to New Zealand and Australia respectively.

India’s recent form has been troubling – they have lost six of their last eight Test matches, including a shocking 0-3 home defeat washing Against New Zealand.

The defeat has raised questions over the team’s depth, the future of key players like captain Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli and their ability to rebuild.

With team changes and legends fading away, Indian Test cricket faces serious challenges to maintain its legacy in a rapidly evolving landscape.

India’s next red-ball challenge is a five-Test series in England starting in July. The conditions in England, which are known for dramatic changes even within a season, will test the players’ technique, skill and adaptability to the limit.

India have not won a series in England since 2007, with only two prior wins (1971, 1986) highlighting the daunting task ahead. Recent failures against New Zealand and Australia have further increased the pressure, leaving the selectors struggling to take tough decisions on player selection and team combination for this crucial campaign.

The biggest headache for the selectors is the form of batting greats Sharma and Kohli after disappointing performances against Australia and earlier New Zealand.

Sharma could only score 31 runs in three Test matches in Australia, with poor form finding himself dropped for the final game. Kohli fared slightly better, scoring 190 runs in nine innings, but his total of 100 runs came in one innings. His dismissals followed a pattern – caught in the slips or behind the stumps – that points to a serious technical flaw or mental fatigue under pressure.

Since January 2024, Sharma has managed just 619 runs in 16 Test matches with one century. Kohli’s numbers have been getting worse over time – averaging 32 with only two centuries in Tests since 2020.

Once a late-emerging Test opener and explosive match-winner, Sharma is now struggling to find his ideal batting position. Meanwhile, Kohli’s unreal decline after a decade of dominance and swagger has left the former cricket legend in a prolonged slump.

From Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin Tendulkar to Kohli, the reign of Indian batting greatness has continued uninterrupted. But Kohli’s worthy successor still remains elusive.

KL Rahul has class but lacks the hunger to score big scores consistently. Rishabh Pant is an exciting player, who is equally capable of winning or losing matches. Shubman Gill, who is being touted as the next big thing, has struggled overseas despite his undeniable pedigree and needs careful nurturing.

Punjab’s young left-hander Abhishek Sharma, coached by Yuvraj Singh, is highly rated, while Nitish Kumar Reddy impressed on his debut in Australia with his fearless performance in difficult conditions.

India’s top Test run-scorer Yashasvi Jaiswal has been at the forefront of the young batsmen in Australia in this series. With courage, patience, technical assurance and explosive strokes, he looks set to become Kohli’s successor as the team’s talisman.

India’s talent pool is filled with various departments. Jasprit Bumrah, who took 32 wickets against Australia, has cemented his position as a fast bowler. Backed by Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and a dozen promising fast bowlers, India have a formidable pace arsenal across all formats.

He said, Bumrah is a once-in-a-generation talent and needs careful workload management. Overloading it, as in the Australia series, risks breakage which can hamper the attack. Shami also needs to be handled with caution after a long stay in rehabilitation. Together, they form one of the most powerful pace pairs in modern cricket.

India’s spin depth appears to be lacking with the sudden retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin and the disappointing performance of Ravindra Jadeja in Australia. However, Washington Sundar has done well on domestic pitches, while young spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Tanush Kotian, who joined the team mid-series in Australia, are knocking on the doors of Test cricket.

Coming off the back of recent defeats to New Zealand and Australia, the Indian cricket board is moving fast towards change. The selectors have been instructed to shortlist potential Test players from the second round of the domestic Ranji Trophy, which resumes from January 23.

All the players, including Sharma and Kohli, may be asked to play domestic cricket – a move that could help them regain form.

Managing a team through change poses complex challenges that require patience, empathy and clear vision. A sudden reaction or external pressure may worsen the situation instead of providing a solution.

It remains to be seen whether Sharma and Kohli can overcome their crisis, but India’s talent pool should allay the current gloom about Indian cricket.

It is worth remembering that in 2011, after winning the ODI World Cup, India suffered 4-0 defeats in the Test series against England and Australia. It seemed that cricket had reached its lowest point.

But, within a few months, there was a revival led by young talents like Kohli, Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Jadeja, Ashwin and others, making India the top team in the world across all formats and remained so for almost a decade. Stayed in place.