A bitter pill to swallow

India's gruelling home Test season has come to a close, but not without raising serious concerns about Gautam Gambhir's shaky tenure as head coach. What was supposed to be a new era - marked by the gradual phasing out of stalwarts Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara - has instead spotlighted the alarming inadequacies of a team still in search of its identity. The infusion of young blood has turned into a prescription for disaster, as India's batting lineup has faltered spectacularly against some of the least seasoned spinners from abroad.

A historic series whitewash here at the hands of New Zealand served as a rude awakening, starkly highlighting the decline of India's once-sterling reputation for playing spin. The cricketing landscape, which should have been vibrant and promising, now resembles a muddy path strewn with questions that refuse to be answered.

As the road to the World Test Championship final has turned into a torrential downpour of failures, key figures like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have become subjects of concern, just weeks before the all-important series against Australia.

In a season that promised much yet delivered so little, India's performances have been a mix of fleeting brilliance overshadowed by an avalanche of poor results. India's recent hosting of Bangladesh and New Zealand was marketed as a perfect lead-up to the challenging series against Australia. They whitewashed Bangladesh, only to find themselves on the receiving end against New Zealand - a scenario reminiscent of a bad joke that keeps getting worse.

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Captain Sharma could muster only 133 runs in ten innings during this home season, averaging a paltry 13.30 with a solitary half-century to his name. His scores - a dismal litany of 6, 5, 23, 8, 2, 52, 0, 8, 18, and 11 - reflect a man thoroughly out of form and perhaps even out of his depth. With an overall performance this year that has yielded just 588 runs across 11 Tests and 21 innings at an average of 29.40, Sharma's batting prowess seems nowhere to be found. This marks the lowest batting average in a calendar year since he stepped into the role of opener in 2019.

Meanwhile, Kohli's numbers have turned into an eyesore. In five Tests, he managed a mere 192 runs, averaging 21.33, with only one fifty to his credit. His performance featured an assortment of low scores - 6, 17, 47, 29', 0, 70, 1, 17, 4, and 1 - adding further weight to the narrative of his decline against spin. The year 2024 has seen him scrape together just 250 runs in 12 Test innings across six matches at an unsatisfactory average of 22.72, highlighting his struggles in a manner that would make any cricket loyalist cringe.

With the ongoing World Test Championship cycle (2023-25) as the backdrop, Kohli has managed to score 561 runs in nine Tests and 16 innings at a slightly better average of 37.40, but his performance has felt more like a shadow of his former self, with just one century and three fifties.

As India gears up for the opening Test in Perth, Sharma's uncertain participation due to ‘personal reasons' adds yet another layer of complexity to an already precarious situation. The captain himself has been vocal about the gravity of their recent 3-0 drubbing by New Zealand, calling it a career ‘low point'. After the final Test - a disappointing defeat by 25 runs inside three days - he admitted that this series marked a nadir in his leadership. "I fully take responsibility for that," he lamented at the post-match press conference, acknowledging that he has not been at his best, both as a leader and a batsman.

With the Indian team now set to embark on a five-Test tour of Australia, commencing on November 22, Sharma's confidence seems as shaky as his batting. "Australia is not an easy place to play cricket," he remarked, but offered a glimmer of hope by citing their recent successes down under. "But we can take a lot of confidence from how we played in the last two series in Australia," he said, as if clinging to the past could somehow erase the present.

India's standing in the World Test Championship table has also taken a hit, now slipping to second place behind Australia. To remain contenders for the final at Lord's next year, they will need to secure at least four victories during the Australian tour. The pressure is mounting, especially with Sharma's recent form raising more questions than answers. His paltry score of 11 in the final Test against New Zealand has made it clear that his performance needs a drastic overhaul.

Kohli's dismal showing has not helped matters either, as he has struggled to find form, culminating in just one fifty amidst a sea of single-digit scores. His dismissal for a mere one run to Ajaz Patel in the final chase was a fitting end to a series riddled with frustrations.

"If the batters are not performing, that is a cause of concern," Rohit admitted. But in a display of resilience, he insists it's time to look forward. "What's done is done now," he added, suggesting that the team must now pivot their focus on correcting past mistakes. "There is a good opportunity for us to go and do something really, really special in Australia," he concluded, perhaps trying to mask the palpable anxiety with optimism.

With the stakes so high, India faces the urgent task of revamping its approach and rediscovering its lost batting prowess. Can India rise from the ashes of their recent misadventures and reclaim their stature on the global stage? Only time will tell, but the pressure is undoubtedly on.