MUMBAI: It has been 36 hours since Ajaz Patel snuck through Washington Sundar- the last man standing, to hand India their first clean sweep at home in a Test series with three matches or more. Three weeks ago hardly anyone saw it coming. Rohit Sharma and his lads were on the high of producing a result in Kanpur against Bangladesh in the rain-affected affair and on course to seal their World Test Championship final spot.
Now, however, it seems like an impossible climb. They still have a chance but need to beat Australia either 4-0 or 5-0 Down Under over the next couple of months. How did it come to this is a question not just those following the game from the outside, but also those who have played the sport at the highest level and are regarded as the legends of the game.
Cricketing great and the last Indian captain to be clean swept at home — 0-2 against South Africa in 1999-2000 — Sachin Tendulkar wrote on an Instagram story saying, “Losing 3-0 at home is a tough pill to swallow and it calls for introspection. Was it lack of preparation, was it poor shot selection or was it lack of match practice?”
Tendulkar went on to praise the two youngsters, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, who stood tall amidst the collapse at the Wankhede Stadium over the last few days. Interestingly, the keeper-batter reposted the story on his profile as well. The questions that Tendulkar has mentioned summed up the kind of series India have had, and at some level, it feels like a combination of all things and more.
India did have game-time against Bangladesh, but what did not help was the blunder Rohit made at the toss in Bengaluru. They went into bat on a damp seaming pitch and were bundled out for 46. Although Rohit did take responsibility for it as captain in as many words, it was the first of many such tactical calls that did not go India’s way. The failure of the experienced batters, Rohit and Virat Kohli only added to it. The duo collectively scored 184 runs in 12 innings. That they scored a fifty each tells how poor they have been in the other five innings they batted.
If Sharma has been going through a rut since the beginning of the home season, Kohli coming into the Bangladesh series without playing any Test since January cost him as well. What makes it worse is the manner and conditions in which the home team lost. In the first Test, they lost to seam and swing. Then panicked and produced rank turners in Mumbai knowing well that India’s batting has not been the same at home over the last three years.
From losing just one Test between 2012 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it went to four defeats in the last three years, including Bengaluru. Despite that and knowing how much of a lottery it becomes when India play on pitches that turn square, the hosts went ahead with it and the hammering came as much harder. Back-to-back defeats inside of three days and a home series loss that will not be forgotten for a very long time.
“What we want changes from series to series. We played on really good pitches against England, and this time around, we felt that this was the right thing for us to do as a team. More often than not, we have come on the right side of it. This is the only time where we have fallen short in terms of what we wanted to achieve,” Rohit tried to rationalise.
The defeat, although hasn’t sunk in yet, has come at a time when India are in transition and have a new head coach at the helm. When Gautam Gambhir took charge as head coach, it was the highest point for him as well as Indian cricket. The team had won the World Cup and he was coming on the back of an IPL title with Kolkata Knight Riders. To say that things have not gone well since would be an understatement. An ODI series loss in Sri Lanka followed by a home Test series defeat does not look good for a new head coach who had been given a free reign with a tenure that goes on till 2027.
What also makes it harder is the fact that they do not have any time to go back and reflect. In less than a week, the Indian team is set to leave for Australia in two batches and will play five Test matches there, the first of which Rohit is likely to miss for personal reasons. The last time a team filled with seniors, travelled Down Under in 2011-12, it ended in a 0-4 defeat. Shortly after, at least two of the four stalwarts hung up their boots.
This Indian team, too, have four senior-most stars — Rohit, Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin, who were with the Indian team’s clean sweep 12 years ago as youngsters. How the next month and a half goes could well define what lies ahead for not just these veterans, but also for the coach as well as the Indian team.