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 fell short, exposing vulnerabilities in a side long considered invincible.

The series highlighted glaring issues: Indian batters were struggling, and jasprit bumrah was the only bowler to give Australia trouble.

The loss not only cost India the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy but also denied them a spot 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 shock 0-3 home draw money laundering against New Zealand.

The defeats have raised questions about the depth of the team, the future of key players like captain Rohit Sharma and former skipper Virat Kohli, and their ability to rebuild.

With a team in transition and its stalwarts fading, Indian Test cricket faces pressing challenges to maintain its legacy in a rapidly evolving landscape.

India's next red-ball challenge is a five-Test series in England starting from July. Conditions in England, known for their dramatic shifts 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 wins (1971, 1986), underscoring the daunting task ahead. Adding to the pressure, recent failures against New Zealand and Australia are leaving the selectors grappling with tough decisions on player selection and team combinations for this crucial campaign.

The biggest headache for selectors is the form of batsmen Sharma and Kohli after dismal performances in Australia and earlier against New Zealand.

Sharma managed just 31 runs in three Tests in Australia, with his poor form seeing him dropped before the final match. Kohli fared slightly better with 190 runs in nine innings, but 100 runs of his total came in one go. His dismissals followed a pattern – caught in the slips or behind the stumps – indicating a blatant technical error or mental fatigue under pressure.

Since January 2024, Sharma has managed just 619 runs in 16 Tests in one century. Kohli's numbers have gotten worse over time, averaging 32 in Tests since 2020 with just two centuries.

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

From Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin Tendulkar to Kohli, the baton of the Indian batting great has been passed on seamlessly. But a worthy successor to Kohli remains elusive.

KL Rahul has the class, but lacks the hunger for consistent high scores. Rishabh Pant is an exciting maverick who can win a match just as well as lose it. Shubman Gill, touted as the next Big Thing, has struggled abroad despite his undeniable pedigree and needs careful nurturing.

Punjab's young left-hander Abhishek Sharma, mentored by Yuvraj Singh, is highly rated while Nitish Kumar Reddy impressed on his debut in Australia with his fearless performances in tough situations.

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

India's talent pool is rich in departments. Jasprit Bumrah has cemented his status as a fast-bowling colossus with his 32-wicket haul against Australia. 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. By overloading him, as in the Australian series, there is a risk of failures that could hinder the attack. Shami, after long periods in rehab, also requires careful treatment. Together they form one of modern cricket's most formidable pace pairs.

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

After the recent losses to New Zealand and Australia, the Indian cricket board is moving quickly to usher in a transition. Selectors have been instructed to shortlist potential Test players for 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 presents complex challenges that require patience, empathy and a clear vision. Convulsive reactions or external pressure can worsen the situation instead of providing solutions.

Whether Sharma and Kohli can overcome their crisis remains to be seen, but India's wealth of talent should lift the current gloom surrounding Indian cricket.

It is worth recalling 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 have reached rock bottom.

But within months, a revival led by young talents like Kohli, Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Jadeja, Ashwin and others saw India emerge as the top team in the world across formats and hold that position for almost a decade.