Writing on the wall for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as India brace for Test transition

India's historic series defeat at home against New Zealand likely to expedite changes in team

Pressure is mounting on captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after another poor series with the bat. AFP

After India lost the three-match Test series against New Zealand in Pune, India captain Rohit Sharma said "one collapse is allowed in 12 years".

He was referring to the end of India's proud record of not losing a Test series at home for 12 years. It was that incredible run that saw them climb to the top of the Test rankings and remain there for a large part of those years, and which also helped qualify for the first two World Test Championship finals.

India looked good to make it to their third WTC final. They only needed to win against an out-of-form New Zealand at home and perform decently in the five-Test series in Australia to book their spot in the title match at Lord's next year as one of the top-two ranked Test teams.

But after three excruciating Tests, every bulwark of the Indian Test team that made it formidable over the years turned to dust.

New Zealand's Glenn Phillips, centre, celebrates the dismissal of India's Akash Deep during the third day of the third Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, November 3, 2024. AP

India's Rishab Pant, right, speaks to umpires Michael Gough, center, and Richard Illingworth after his controversial dismissal on Sunday. AP

Left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel picked up six wickets as New Zealand defeated India in the third Test in Mumbai by 25 runs. AFP

Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli both failed in the second innings as India suffered their first ever 3-0 home Test series defeat. AFP

Rohit Sharma failed with the bat and in the field as India suffered their first ever 3-0 home Test series defeat. AFP

New Zealand's Aijaz Patel, third left, celebrates the dismissal of Ravindra Jadeja. AP

Ravindra Jadeja picked up 10 wickets in the Mumbai Test. AFP

India's frontline batsmen – captain Rohit and Virat Kohli – flopped so spectacularly and collectively, it wiped off 12 years of hard work inside three weeks.

Over the past three years, both Rohit and Kohli average less than 35 in Test matches. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant average more than 50 in the same period. Even all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja averages more than the two stars with the bat.

Rohit has decided to attack as an opener, even in Test matches, and also on dicey surfaces, of which there have been plenty recently. Kohli, on the other hand, has a seemingly insurmountable weakness against spin.

As a result, both failed more often than not. But the team kept winning as other players kept putting their hand up – be it Axar Patel with the bat against Australia, Yashasvi Jaiswal every other match, or all-rounders like Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, like against Bangladesh where they rescued the team from 144-6 in Chennai.

But against New Zealand, on very difficult surfaces, all failed collectively with the bat – India crossed 250 just twice in six innings.

To make matters worse, India's main bowling weapons – Ashwin and Jadeja – were below par in the first two matches, outbowled by their Kiwi counterparts and even by teammate Washington Sundar, who was not even part of the original plans.

New Zealand's bowlers collectively showed more discipline; batsmen Will Young, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra played with far more confidence against the turning ball and in the end that was what clinched a historic 3-0 series sweep for the visitors – the first time India has been whitewashed by that margin at home.

Road ahead for seniors

While one series defeat in 12 years might be "allowed", a series whitewash at home against a team that had just been blanked in Sri Lanka and missing key players like Kane Williamson and Mitchell Santner for various parts of the series is unlikely to be acceptable for Indian fans and board.

There was already a realisation that India's Test heroes Kohli, Ashwin, Jadeja and Rohit were playing together at home for possibly the last time. Now with the embarrassing whitewash and the fear of more ignominy in the upcoming series in Australia, it is highly likely that many, if not all, will be phased out from the team.

The Indian team management would have hoped for a gradual transition after the WTC final but with qualification for the title match next to impossible, the decision makers are reportedly looking to move on from the seniors who have served Indian cricket so well for many years but are clearly struggling. And especially since there are a number of candidates to take their place.

The transition phase is upon Indian cricket. Rohit, Kohli and Jadeja have retired from T20 cricket and ODIs are now few and far between. They have one last chance to pull off a miracle in five-Test series in Australia, somehow qualify for the WTC final and script an exit on their own terms. If not, decisions will most likely be made for them.

In all fairness, the writing has been on the wall for some time. It's just that reality has hit home only now. The stars were accorded fairytale endings after the T20 World Cup win earlier this year. They can't expect miracles every time.