Indian cricket is on the cusp of a generational change

When Pakistan lost the first Test of their recent series against England, they responded by dropping their best players, won the two Tests that followed and with them the series. It seemed ridiculous to do, but it worked, although dropping the players wasn't the only reason. Sometimes shaking up a team, and not just in sports, can lead to dramatic results.

Indians are transitioning more gradually, partly because the performances of past players allow them a longer run, and partly because of the perennial hope in all sports that things will be different next time. Next time will be in Australia in less than a month. India's squad for the five Tests resembles that of 2011-12, which saw the last gasp of a once great team. India lost 0-4. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman retired and within months India had a new squad.

Virat Kohli who turns 36 in a week, skipper Rohit Sharma (37), Ravichandran Ashwin (38) and Ravindra Jadeja (who turns 36 during the tour) know that it is not Australia that will be the concern but something much heavier and less forgiving Father Time. We are on the cusp of change in Indian cricket, with all the emotional and cultural ramifications that this brings.

Still in the fight

Eighteen home games without defeat is an amazing record and cannot be rewritten simply because of the shock in New Zealand. India can still qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, but the path has become trickier.

Rohits, we have the right to lose two matches, is disturbing because you can extend that to three matches, four matches, while claiming that India has been in the final of both WTCs so far and thus has the right to not to qualify this time.

In Bengaluru, India fell prey to the seamers, in Pune to the spinners. The skipper decided that the team would be aggressive when batting but defensive when fielding, a combination that complicated the issues.

There may be an excuse to be dismissed for 46 in the first Test, but virtually none for 156 in the second. After the artificial high of beating lowly Bangladesh, this could well be the necessary wake-up call. Often a poor performance is not bad in itself if the reaction to it is positive.

Drawn out

The last time India lost a series to England at home in 2012-13, Mahendra Singh Dhoni also led an aging team. Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha were outmatched by Graeme Swan and Monty Panesar, so home wicket preparation then also failed.

Ironically, the Indian spinners were criticized then for bowling at a slower pace than the visiting spinners, while this time they faced flak for bowling faster. Cricket can be a funny game.

The Indian batsmen struggling with spin were a reminder of how little first-class cricket they play at home. Washington Sundar, a last-minute inclusion, claimed 11 wickets and batted expertly; he had played another Ranji Trophy match the week before.

Did India not take New Zealand seriously before the start of the series? That would have been unprofessional. Commentators say India has bundled New Zealand for 259 pots. It was picked up by the media. But as luck would have it, that was the highest total in the Pune Test!

As Mitchell Santner, the hero of New Zealand's 13-wicket victory in Pune, said: We beat them at their own game. We outsmarted them and played them in their own circumstances.

On two previous trips to Australia, India outwitted and defeated them under their own conditions. To accelerate India's transition, players like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Akash Deep and Harshit Rana, who are next-generation leaders, need to perform well.

Australians have consistently said they see Rishabh Pant as the danger man. No team with 30-year-old Jasprit Bumrah leading the attack can be taken lightly. Bumrah will captain in at least one Test as Rohit is unavailable due to personal reasons.

It could be a tempting fate if India look too far ahead as the final Test against New Zealand begins on Friday. Five teams can still qualify for the WTC final, so the concept of the dead rubber no longer exists. Every match is important.