Boria Majumdar
It was 10:05 am and Simon Harmer’s loopy off-spin hit high on Rishabh Pant’s bat and travelled slowly to Aiden Markram for an easy catch. India were 58-5, and it was evident that another abject surrender was on the cards. These batters can’t play spin — that’s the bottom line. Almost every ball looked like it could fetch a wicket, and every batter looked tentative and clueless. Ravindra Jadeja was an exception. The art of the grind is a rare and disappearing quality, and not a single batter seems capable of grafting.
Soul-searching is a must. Yes, there is a white-ball series around the corner and yes, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will play. But that shouldn’t take away from this capitulation. Red-ball cricket isn’t in good health, and we need to take note and make the point. Correctives are a must — a dire need. With no Test matches scheduled for the next few months, this is the time to evolve a template. Prepare domestic pitches that aid spin bowling and push batters to play in tough, turning conditions. Unless you practise — and practise hard — there is no solution, and home Test losses will continue to become routine.
It is also of paramount importance to understand and identify players who are genuinely ready for red-ball cricket. Can Nitish Reddy be persisted with? Dhruv Jurel? Do they have the mettle for the format? More importantly, we need to look at the manner of their dismissals. It is becoming a troubling pattern, and unless correctives are put in place, nothing will really change. Teams like West Indies may lull us into complacency, and then we will once again be exposed against quality opposition.
This series is now history. India have surrendered. But what’s the way out of this hole? Is there a way out, or can we kiss this WTC cycle goodbye? Can the batting, which looks as brittle as ever, find answers to its woes? It is as much a question of skill as anything else. Skill and mental strength will be needed in abundance to come out of this rut, and everyone involved with this team will be tested.
Indian cricket has some hard days and nights ahead — days and nights far removed from the glitz and glamour of white-ball cricket. Hours that will make players feel lonely and apprehensive. The media bashing will be relentless. But there is a light at the end of every tunnel — if the players choose to see it.
Yes, Shubman Gill will make it back. But this series loss goes beyond him. At Eden Gardens, India should have won with just 124 to chase. One counter-attacking innings could have done the job. India were timid. In Guwahati, on a better wicket, things were worse. South Africa scored nearly 500 and controlled the game. Bowling and batting — not to mention catching — have been poor, and introspection is the only way forward. Accept the mistakes, and then work to rectify them. And do so now, white-ball success notwithstanding.
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