At what point do you stop calling it anomalies and begin to see it as a pattern?
Indian cricket observers must now begin to ask themselves a question that seemed unfathomable a season back. Or at least consider it for a moment – are India playing bad cricket or is the current crop of players just average at best?
There was a period not too long ago when India would go an entire season without suffering any series loss at home in any format.
From September 2019 to February 2023, India did not lose a single home bilateral series of any variety. Following an ODI series defeat to Australia – who ended up winning the World Cup a few months later – India got back to winnings way.
That is until the seemingly safe home Test series against New Zealand at the end of 2024. Indian cricket was on a high having won the T20 World Cup earlier in the year. Still, senior members of the team were beginning to feel the pressure as the combative Gautam Gambhir had taken charge of the team and a new path was being forged for the next generation of players.
India were on the brink of qualifying for the World Test Championship final – they needed to win four Tests and draw one out of eight matches lined up against New Zealand at home and Australia away. Even one less win and more draws might have been enough.
The Kiwis at home were an afterthought – the series in Australia was the main one. Many, possibly even the players, were thinking about the combinations and tactics to be used in Australia as they played a largely depleted New Zealand side. India lost 0-3.
Not only did they lose a home Test series for the first time in over a decade, they were whitewashed 3-0 at home for the first time in history. Not against the mighty Australians of the 2000s or the West Indies of the 1980s, but against a New Zealand side that was missing its best batter in Kane Williamson.
Rohit Sharma and Indian cricket were rocked. As was feared, the series Down Under was a disaster as India surrendered the Border Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade.
The knives were out and even though Rohit guided India to yet another ICC title – the Champions Trophy in Dubai last year – the decision makers seemed determined to move on. Not sure where exactly, but apparently away from the seniors.
Shubman Gill was named Test captain, while Rohit and Virat Kohli retired from Test matches almost simultaneously. A respectable drawn Test series in England and an emotional Asia Cup triumph in the UAE – following victory over Pakistan in the final – seemed to put the team back on track.
But the ecosystem was shaken once again last November as world Test champions South Africa blanked India 0-2 in their backyard. And this month, the Kiwis – once again – thrashed India in an ODI series, despite Kohli showing exemplary form with the bat.
The third ODI against New Zealand in Indore on Sunday captured the growing sense of resignation around the current crop of Indian players.
New Zealand’s ODI team, largely weakened due to injuries and planning for the T20 World Cup, were far from world beaters. But on one of the flattest batting tracks in India – Indore – they blasted 337-8.
A few years back, when Kohli was at his absolute peak alongside Rohit at the top of the order, this target at home would have been chased down nine out of ten times.
But on Sunday, India fell short by 41 runs, despite Kohli scoring his 54th ODI ton. India’s next highest scorers were Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana – all-rounders who are yet to master either bowling or batting.
Granted, India struggle in the absence of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, while Jasprit Bumrah is also not available all the time. But the rest of their bowling is falling woefully short, including their spinners at home.
Apart from Arshdeep Singh, there is hardly any young fast bowler worthy of a spot in all formats while in the spin department, only Varun Charavarthy in T20s can be termed excellent.
Little known Kiwi left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox, on the other hand, proved unhittable in the third ODI, finishing on 2-42. He was among eight players who were visiting India for the first time.
What next?
Gill has been handed the ODI captaincy, possibly keeping one eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup where Rohit and Kohli might not feature together.
Well, forget about the next ODI World Cup. Worry about the T20 World Cup starting in three weeks.
This will be the true test of Indian cricket. While they have won the last three multi-nation tournaments on the bounce, the number of spectacular defeats in the interim have made it difficult for supporters to rally around the team, especially coach Gambhir.
Gambhir has overseen victories in major trophies but equally noteworthy have been the defeats home and away, plus the alarming drying up of the talent pool with next to no fast bowlers or spinners coming through.
If India lose their hold in the only format that seems to be working for them – T20s – maybe they will need to reconfigure the expectations of fans to that of an average team which also wins big tournaments.
