This has dealt a huge blow to India’s reputation as a powerhouse in Test cricket. It all came crashing down after a difficult loss, 0-2 in the series, to South Africa. India’s home dominance in red-ball cricket would have been an automatic response under the turn of the century. After their recent performance, we see a glaring chink in their armor. This loss is a severe turn in the team’s luck. It further plunges their prospects of making the World Test Championship (WTC) final into grave danger.
The recent series loss marks India’s second home series defeat in just 12 months, following a remarkable 12-year unbeaten run. Under newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir’s supervision, India’s Test fortunes have faltered. In fact they’ve lost five of their last seven home Tests. This concerning trend has created concern over Gambhir’s tactics and the direction of the team as a whole.
India’s recent home series vs South Africa was notable for being a public unraveling of several stalwarts’ form. Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal hardly looked the part, doing little to reassure long-term faith in their skills. Fresh entrants Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Dhruv Jurel could find themselves finding it tough to make it to the XI. Unfortunately for them, their misfortunes have only compounded the team’s woes. Only a handful of players were above average. Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar all produced excellent showing.
The fallout from this defeat goes well beyond the immediate results. As a result, India have dropped down to fifth place on the WTC table. This release decreases their odds of making it to the final drastically. They still have nine more Tests to go, five of those against Australia. As they seek to return to being one of the world’s major cricketing powers, each game holds immense importance and little margin for error.
The loss to South Africa in the semifinals was particularly painful. It represented their largest ever home Test defeat by runs. This series win is a historic achievement, and a precious one for South Africa. They cherished their first series triumph in India in 25 long years. Yet such a statistic speaks to the incredible degree to which power has shifted within Test cricket.
It is no wonder then that speculations have sprung up regarding the state of India’s home pitches. Some analysts think these pitches have gone from spin-friendly to providing slicker surfaces. This adjustment allows players to get acclimated to international conditions. It quite possibly gave a false impression of the team’s strength in red-ball cricket. Critics claim that this change is leading to India’s recent failures. They think it would dampen what should be a huge boost to the team’s performance on home turf.
While these challenges are daunting, there is still time for India to pause, regroup and reimagine. The next two contests against the Socceroos provide the perfect opportunity to make amends. That makes this the ideal time to win back believers and skeptics alike. It will require a concerted effort from both players and management to address the shortcomings that have surfaced during this tumultuous period.
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