There has been a great deal of talk about the ‘positive’ attitude of the Indian team and how well the youngsters have coped with the challenges of playing the four Test series. While I believe this is not idle boast and the show of intent on this tour was strong, I also believe that a gung-ho sentiment should be tempered with realism to make the future more productive.
Fact is India lost the Test series 0-2. And on plumb batting tracks. Had Australia not been uncharacteristically sloppy in catching, especially in Sydney, the scoreline could well have read 0-3. As it is, the last Test was barely saved, India gasping to a draw after losing four wickets in the post-tea session. Clearly, there are troubling issues for the team still and in all departments of the game. If anything, India’s catching was worse than Australia’s throughout the series. This is an area in which India have just not been able to make big improvement despite the emphasis on youth.
That there are still no specialist slip fielders around reflects abysmally on Duncan Fletcher, the support staff and others associated with providing strategic and coaching inputs. Even more unedifying was the bowling. It flopped in every Test, fast bowlers and spinners alike. The manner in which the Australians pulverized the attack in the second innings at Sydney particularly made the Indian bowlers look club class at best.
True, batting is India’s touted strength. But it hardly needs reiterating that to win matches, 20 wickets need to be taken regularly. On ‘doctored’ pitches at home, India have managed this successfully for years, but where are the bowlers who can do this overseas? Unless such bowlers are found or developed, India will continue to flounder away from home.
The batting was a redeeming feature, of course, with Virat Kohli blazing a glorious, record-breaking trail. The captaincy, which fell on his shoulders first as a stop-gap arrangement and then full time after M S Dhoni’s sudden retirement, did not have any adverse effect on him; on the contrary, he seemed to relish the responsibility. In my opinion, what was even more remarkable about Kohli’s bating was that he had come on this tour under a lot of pressure after the complete flop show in England. Even a modest series against Australia would have made doubts linger: now there are none, about aptitude or attitude.
Well as M Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane batted, I dare say without Kohli’s brilliance it may well have been a whitewash. He took on the bowlers, matching punch with counter-punch, to the extent that the Aussie bowlers feared his presence in the middle. With four centuries in the series, he stands alongside the great Sunil Gavaskar in this achievement. You don’t need too many explanations after that to infer that Kohli is cut out for greatness. If he can rein in his agro a bit, he will not only captain India for a long time, but perhaps more rewardingly too.
Apart from Kohli, Vijay and Rahane, however, the other top order batsmen on the tour failed to make a mark. The next best batsman after these three was R Ashwin which discredits Dhawan, Rohit, Pujara and Raina of who so much was expected. At least two from these four have a question mark about their Test future.
The last issue that I would highlight is India’s inability to win the battle in crunch situations. In each of the four Tests, there were phases when India looked poised to be in a dominant position. All these opportunities were squandered, for one reason or another. Winning in sport is dependent not only on intent, but coming good when it matters most. Only hyperbole can’t lead to success; strong nerves and timely implementation of skill is more important. Winning is not just a state of mind, but a habit which India need to cultivate.
