Defeat To Australia Should Spell The End Of An Era For India’s Test Cricket Team

For India, there will always be a feeling of what could have been. What if star quick/talisman/stand-in captain – let’s throw in superman too – Jasprit Bumrah didn’t succumb to a back injury?

On a treacherous Sydney Cricket Ground surface he later described as the “spiciest” of the five-match series, Bumrah obviously would have made the chase of 162 much harder for Australia, who sealed victory in the fifth Test relatively comfortably by six wickets after some earlier anxiety.

For such an engrossing and rollicking series, that had captivated a nation and cricket fans worldwide, it was an anti-climax of an ending. If only.

But, reciting the lame gag rehashed since his ailment came to light, Bumrah had carried India’s attack all series until his body gave way.

Australia’s superior depth of pace bowling essentially was the difference between the teams. It’s why Australia was favored heading into the series and that’s what played out on seam-friendly surfaces, where batting was difficult and spin bowlers were essentially negated and thus useless.

Five-Test series are a rarity these days and essentially only contested by those who can financially afford it – powers England, India and Australia. But the beauty of such a long series is that the end result is never sugar-coated and so was the case here despite the contest see-sawing for large chunks.

A 3-1 result was a fair reflection given Australia had mostly been in control after their rusty effort in the series-opener in Perth in their return to Test cricket following a long break.

It was the first time in a decade that India had lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with their players in this era having enjoyed an edge over Australia, their most tempestuous rivals.

The old guard deserved another crack, but it was a sad ending for them in Australia. Ravi Ashwin retired mid-series although at least he stepped aside for renewal. You feel there was something left in the tank for Ashwin but, in a rarity for an athlete, he decided to leave before the wheels fell off.

That might not be said of his fellow legends. Captain Rohit Sharma could not even make it to the fifth Test, so abject his batting as a notably flustered persona took hold of his usual unflappable demeanour, while mighty Virat Kohli was reduced to a diminished figure after continually being baffled by Scott Boland.

Whether they stay on in Test cricket is unknown and there have been reports in the India press that Kohli wants to play on until the 2027 World Cup. Perhaps Kohli can remain in ODI cricket, a format where he is a top three batter of all-time. But his time in the uncompromising Test format, where flaws can’t be papered over, appears up after such a losing battle against Boland.

With the Sydney defeat ending India’s World Test Championship hopes, India should shrug aside sentimentality, even to Kohli who has almost transcended cricket due to his sheer fame and influence, and start afresh before the next cycle begins with a tough five-match away series against England.

India, right now, should treat this as the end of a season like in domestic sports leagues. It is time for them to let highly talented, but underachieving, Shubman Gill take more responsibility in the top-order.

While Nitish Kumar Reddy, a breakout player in Australia, has some Kohli-like traits at the crease and it isn’t hard to envision him receiving the baton as the next master batter of India.

India’s selection throughout the series left a lot to be desired with Washington Sundar, a handy batter and spinner, essentially a wasted selection in the pivotal matches in Melbourne and Sydney.

It spoke of conservatism from India’s hierarchy and so too holding back quick Prasidh Krishna until the fifth Test despite impressing in warm-up and intra-squad matches ahead of the series.

India coach Gautam Gambhir is still relatively new in the hot seat and it feels like he hasn’t put a stamp on the team.

After giving the team a dressing down in the wake of the fourth Test, India played like they were unsure of how to go about it in Sydney. Attack or play with great discipline? They were caught in two minds. Rishabh Pant encapsulated this with a conservative approach in the first innings contrasted with a whirlwind in the second.

There have been reports in the Indian media on disharmony within the India team throughout the series, unsurprising given the team straddles different generations, and surely fracturing further amid having lost six of their last eight Tests.

Gambhir has a lot on his plate ahead of him, but making tough, unpopular calls might just start the reboot India desperately needs after falling away in Australia.