SYDNEY: AS the third umpire’s decision — OUT — was displayed on the giant screen at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday evening for one last time, the stadium erupted bringing close to what had been a rollercoaster year for Indian cricket.
The men’s team went down for the sixth time in the longest format in 2024. Their performance summed up the underlying issues of a transitioning team that were masked more often than not while playing at home.
Indian cricket is at a tipping point or at least as close as they have ever been to one, especially in the longest format. For the first time in 12 years, India lost a Test series at home, a 0-3 clean sweep to New Zealand for the first time ever on home soil. In the middle of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, one of the titans of the longest format and one of the chief architects of India’s Test dominance in the past decade, R Ashwin, hung his boots.
Not all was bad in 2024 though. The highest point for Indian cricket came on June 29, 2024, in Barbados, when Rohit Sharma led the country to their first ICC title in over ten years. That also ensured the old guard bid adieu and the next generation took over the shortest format. For Sharma and India, however, things have just gone downhill since as they conceded a 1-2 lead to Australia in Melbourne.
However, when the sun dawns for the first time in 2025 — the Indian men’s team would be in the new year five and a half hours before the country does — it gives them a chance to turn the page; to start afresh. For there is a lot to look forward to.
First up, there is a series to be levelled in Sydney. They still can make it to the World Test Championship Final. But the tougher challenges lie ahead. Then comes the Champions Trophy. A five Test tour to England followed by another home season. As things stand, one cannot be very sure if the Test team will look the same when they leave for England in June.
The biggest test, however, is not just seeing through transition, but to ensure there is enough bench strength to take Indian cricket forward. Former national selector Devang Gandhi feels so. “There will be some people who will be there, part of the team, and some may not be there. But most importantly, they will have to create a bench strength,” Gandhi told this daily. “What if tomorrow Jasprit Bumrah is not available? What if Virat Kohli is not available? Then who are the guys who are filling up? When it comes to white-ball cricket, there are enough replacements. But when it comes to Test format, I think India are a little hamstrung there,” he added.
While Gandhi feels Kohli will continue to play for a while, he says that selectors have some tough calls to make unless players do so voluntarily. “This is the first occasion where some of the boys who had been on the previous tour have had a little poor tour. So they will come good. They need to figure out the core guys who are going to serve in the long run. During our tenure as a selection committee, we were very fortunate that Bumrah was at that point in time emerging as a full-fledged Test bowler. We had Mohammed Siraj coming through the ranks, Ishant Sharma was there, Umesh Yadav was there, and Mohammed Shami was there. There were some backups. The selection committee will have to sit down and take stock of what's there in case of an eventuality. Do you have a like-to-like replacement? It's very easy to say. But that should be the endeavour; to dig deep into the domestic season and figure out the potential guys.”
One of the things that India struggled to do whether against New Zealand at home or in Australia is to take 20 wickets. Oftentimes questions were raised about the combination preferred as they packed the playing XI with all-rounders to have the batting depth. Gandhi believes that unless a player is a genuine all-rounder — who can take wickets and maybe score a hundred or play long if needed — it might affect the ability to take 20 wickets in a Test match.
“If you recall that phase between 2016-20 India predominantly played with pure bowlers. If you have an all-rounder, fine, but the primary skill is very important. If somebody's playing as a bowler, he should be good enough to take five wickets. In the process, if you discover somebody who's extremely talented, who can do both, who can bowl probably 135KPH and also bat and get a hundred possibly, then nothing like it,” Gandhi said, before adding, “Nitish K Reddy looks very much the part the way he is batted throughout the series. I think this particular tour will give him a lot of confidence. If he can improve on his fitness, get a yard quicker, then he can be a handy all-rounder.”
Gandhi also feels that the selectors and Indian cricket should consider bringing someone senior like Sachin Tendulkar, or VVS Laxman for overseas tours as batting consultants, especially with so many youngsters in the side. “These are two names which come straight away to my mind. They have a world of experience. They have scored runs all over the world. So, why not? One particular series, if needed, they can definitely be used,” he says.
While all the focus remains on the Test team, the white-ball transition takes care of itself with the next generation of players coming through the ranks. There, too, however, time will tell how the ODI transition goes after the Champions Trophy. The challenge for head coach Gautam Gambhir and selectors will be to not mix up formats. “When it comes to the white-ball format, I think the boys are very experienced. There is Sanju Samson is doing well, Tilak Varma… Shubman Gill is in the scheme of things. The way that these talented youngsters are coming through IPL, I don't think there is going to be much of an issue. Just that they need to keep the momentum going,” Gandhi said.
If the men’s team had a good white-ball year and forgettable red-ball 2024, the women did well in the longest format while exiting early in the T20 World Cup. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side, too, are a team in transition with Smriti Mandhana waiting to take over down the line. For them, the focus will remain on the home ODI World Cup to be played in 2025. With the momentum gathered for the women’s game in India, especially after the Women’s Premier League, winning their first senior ICC title at home could well be the perfect way to build on it.
“Playing at home will be a huge advantage,” Gandhi added. ”The girls are highly talented. The World Cup is a different tournament altogether. The motivation, the energy level, everything. You want to give your best. Eventually, what is at stake is the World Cup. I am sure they will regroup and take advantage of the conditions,” he mentioned.
Indian cricket would be hoping so as well. When 2025 begins, they have a chance to win at least three global tournaments across genders, especially the two white-ball ones. As they say, hope is never a bad thing. And one can only hope that the decision-makers take the right steps forward in the coming year.