From Glory to Gloom: The Decline of India’s Test Cricket Supremacy
Indian cricket fans are still grappling with the team’s devastating 1-3 loss in the five-match Test series against Australia. Once dominant in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with memorable victories over Australia in recent years, India faltered this time, revealing vulnerabilities in a side previously seen as unbeatable.
The series laid bare significant issues – Indian batters struggled across the board, while Jasprit Bumrah remained the sole bowler capable of troubling the Australians. The defeat not only cost India the prized Border-Gavaskar Trophy but also eliminated them from contention for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, ending their streak of back-to-back appearances in 2021 and 2023, where they had lost to New Zealand and Australia respectively.
India’s recent form is concerning. They’ve lost six of their last eight Tests, including an unexpected 0-3 home whitewash by New Zealand. These setbacks have raised questions about the team’s depth, 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 veteran players fading, Indian Test cricket faces major challenges to maintain its legacy in an increasingly competitive landscape. Their next red-ball challenge is a five-Test series in England starting in July. England’s unpredictable conditions, often changing within a single session, will test the players’ technical skills and adaptability to the fullest. India hasn’t won a series in England since 2007, with only two previous victories (1971, 1986), underscoring the enormity of the task ahead. Adding to the pressure, recent failures against New Zealand and Australia leave selectors with tough decisions regarding player selection and team combinations.
The biggest headache for selectors is the form of batting stalwarts Sharma and Kohli, who both had disappointing performances in Australia and earlier against New Zealand. Sharma scored just 31 runs in three Tests in Australia, prompting him to drop himself for the final match. Kohli, while slightly better with 190 runs from nine innings, had 100 of those runs in one innings, with his dismissals following a troubling pattern – caught in the slips or behind the stumps – signaling either a technical flaw or mental fatigue under pressure.
Since January 2024, Sharma has accumulated only 619 runs in 16 Tests, with just one century. Kohli’s numbers are even more concerning, averaging 32 in Tests since 2020, with only two centuries. Once a late-blooming Test opener and match-winner, Sharma now struggles to find his best batting position. Kohli, after a decade of dominance, seems to be in an extended slump, leading many to wonder if he can rediscover his best form.
The baton of Indian batting greatness has passed smoothly from Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin Tendulkar to Kohli, but a worthy successor to Kohli is yet to emerge. KL Rahul has the class but hasn’t shown the consistency needed for big scores. Rishabh Pant is a maverick talent, capable of both match-winning and match-losing moments. Shubman Gill, hailed as the next big thing, has yet to find success overseas, despite his undeniable talent, and needs careful development.
Among the promising young players, Abhishek Sharma, a left-handed batsman from Punjab and mentored by Yuvraj Singh, is highly rated, while Nitish Kumar Reddy impressed on his debut in Australia with fearless performances under pressure. Yashasvi Jaiswal, India’s top scorer in the recent series in Australia, has been a standout among young batsmen. With his combination of flair, patience, technical soundness, and explosive shots, he looks poised to take over as the team’s talisman, potentially filling Kohli’s shoes.
India’s talent pool is deep, especially in pace bowling. Jasprit Bumrah, with his 32-wicket haul against Australia, has cemented his place as one of the finest fast bowlers in the world. Supported by Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and a host of promising young pacers, India now boasts a formidable pace attack for all formats. However, Bumrah, being a generational talent, requires careful workload management. Overburdening him, as seen in the Australia series, could risk injuries that would affect the pace attack. Shami, also coming off a lengthy injury layoff, needs to be managed carefully. Together, they form one of modern cricket’s most potent pace combinations.
India’s spin department, however, faces challenges with Ravichandran Ashwin’s sudden retirement and Ravindra Jadeja’s lackluster performance in Australia. Although Washington Sundar has shown promise on home pitches, young spinners like Ravi Bishnoi and Tanush Kotian, who joined the squad in Australia, are pushing for opportunities in Test cricket.
In response to the team’s recent setbacks, the Indian cricket board is moving quickly to usher in a transition. Selectors have been tasked with identifying potential Test players from the second round of the domestic Ranji Trophy, which resumes on January 23. All players, including Sharma and Kohli, may be asked to play domestic cricket to regain their form. Managing a team in transition is a complex task that requires patience, empathy, and clear vision. Rushed decisions driven by external pressures could only make matters worse.
Whether Sharma and Kohli can bounce back remains to be seen, but India’s vast talent pool should provide hope for the future. It’s worth recalling that after their ODI World Cup victory in 2011, India was whitewashed 4-0 in Test series against England and Australia. Cricket seemed at a low point, yet within months, a revival led by young talents like Kohli, Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Jadeja, Ashwin, and others saw India rise to the top of world cricket, maintaining that position for nearly a decade.