The shocking defeat against New Zealand has not only dented India’s invincibility at home but has also exposed chinks in the nation’s cricketing armoury. The present India team is nowhere near the lot that has won 18 consecutive series since 2012. This team may have a couple of big names, but it is devoid of the cohesion and temperament required in test match cricket. Furthermore, the team composition was also not right, as the players were picked up based on their reputations, not on their present form. For instance, despite knowing that there are a few left-handers in the New Zealand side, Washington Sundar was not picked up in the Indian squad initially. It was only after losing the first test that the spinning all-rounder was called for national duty, and he obliged the decision by taking seven wickets. Besides, even after repeated failures of the senior cricketers, the selectors and the team management were hesitant to provide opportunities to young players, who are doing well in red-ball cricket in the domestic circle for the last couple of years, effectively ending the competition for a place in the team. It may be mentioned here that despite losing the series against the Kiwis, India is going to Australia with almost the same team to play a five-match test series, which is perhaps the toughest battle in present-day cricket.
Many have criticised India’s aggressive approach. While there is nothing wrong in playing aggressive cricket, the fact is that one cannot attack all the time in the longer version of cricket. A team needs to defend well too, when the chips are down. A century before lunch or a match-saving innings gets equal weightage in test cricket. In test match cricket, only classical cricketing shots get appreciation unlike the shorter version of the game where scoop shots or reverse sweeps have become the order of the day. It seems India at present is too much engrossed in its recent success in T20 cricket, which is apparent from Team India’s approach to test match cricket. Even after being bowled out for 46 during the first innings of the first test, India had tried to make quick runs as soon as it got rid of the deficit to ensure an outright victory. While no one can be blamed for harnessing a will to win, any other team in the same position would have tried to save the match first before going for a win. But as India threw caution to the winds, it lost the last six wickets cheaply and virtually handed over a victory to the Black Caps on a platter.
So, along with injecting fresh talents into the team, Team India should change its mindset depending on the format of the game. In a rain-interrupted test match, India may defeat Bangladesh within two and a half days, but such miracles do not happen regularly. As the traditional game is the ultimate test of the cricketing skills, Rohit Sharma & Co. should learn to mix aggression with caution if it wants its dominance to continue in red-ball cricket too.
