A poor result usually speeds up transition, and this Indian team has been in transition for a while now. The pace of change, however, has been slow, with the odd win here or a triumph in another format there prolonging the process. Will a white-ball series win over England at home (series commencing Jan 22) be the solvent that removes the stain of the defeat in Australia? Such things have happened before.
The second half of the Ranji season commences soon — how many will use that to consolidate their positions or rediscover form? It is not merely the number of runs or wickets that will be significant, the opposition matters too. A century against Meghalaya cannot carry the same weight as one against Mumbai.
If only the Indians had played with half the aggression displayed by their coach at press conferences! Gautam Gambhir was a wonderful batter, but his record as coach is under the scanner — three defeats each in the last two series. The one at home against New Zealand was the most startling result of the season.
India’s next series is in England five months away. The planning has to start now.
Technical issue
It might not be a bad idea for some batters — Virat Kohli certainly — to seek a county contract in England ahead of the tour. Kohli continues to be the fittest Indian player, and there is no drop in his hunger. But there is a technical issue outside his off stump — first exposed consistently in England ten years ago — which he has overcome before, and away from international cricket might do so again.
It will also give both the selectors and Kohli himself a final chance to assess the batter’s suitability for the tour. If he regains his touch, Indian cricket will benefit; if he doesn’t, no one can complain if he is dropped.
Ironically, Kohli, who struggled in England then, finishing with a highest of 39 and an average of 13, went to Australia four months later and began that series with a century in each innings. Will the traffic be in the opposite direction this time? He was 26 then, he is 36 now. A stint in county cricket would be a good start especially since it is possible that Rohit Sharma has played his last Test.
A tour of Australia is never easy, even if fans in India had assumed that since their team had won the previous two series there, they would again. Momentum is one of the biggest misconceptions in sport.
The difference between a 2-2 finish and a 1-3 is startling, but that is the nature of arithmetic. The result favoured the better team. A draw might have pushed under the carpet many issues in Indian cricket, from the superstar syndrome to the overstaffed coaching section; from technical inadequacies to the illogic of team selection.
India had their backs to the wall for most of the series but couldn’t rub off the writing on it. Coaches shouting at the players after a bad performance is not unusual; sometimes such stories leak to the media as it did in Australia. Stories of disharmony tend to feed on themselves, and speculation very quickly becomes fact.
Overreaction
Sunil Gavaskar’s ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid’ response to Rishabh Pant’s dismissal in Melbourne that sparked India’s defeat might have been an overreaction even if deserved. But it had the effect of Pant batting with all the confidence of a deer caught in the headlights in his next innings before normal service was resumed.
To get the team selection so consistently wrong was astonishing. India playing Washington Sundar on a green top at the expense of a fast bowler or an extra batter — with domestic successes Abhimanyu Easwaran or Sarfraz Khan just passengers — was merely the final one. Sundar bowled one over in the match!
One bad session in Melbourne, when India lost seven wickets for 34 runs, and with it the match can be passed off as unfortunate. But six innings under 200? That’s a systemic failure.
Gambhir said at the press conference following the series that “Five months is a long time (before the England tour)….” But the future has a way of knocking on the door when you are least prepared.
Published – January 08, 2025 12:33 am IST
