It’s broken, and it needs mending. A decade has passed since the Indian cricket team won an ICC trophy. A comprehensive loss to Australia in the World Test Championship final on Sunday was the latest bruise on a scar-filled record of coming close but not getting the job done. Though this defeat may have been fuelled by not picking the world’s best bowler R Ashwin and by opting for an overtly defensive game-plan in not electing to bat, these are mistakes that should not mask the larger problem. India last won a global tournament in 2013 when they lifted the ICC Champions Trophy. Since then, in nine tournaments, India have finished second on four occasions, finished in the top four on another four, and bowed out in the group stages at the 2021 T20 World Cup. Following that debacle, Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma were named coach and skipper, replacing Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli respectively. But Mr Dravid, who had revolutionised the junior national team and helped graduate exceptional talent into the senior fold, is yet to translate that magic to the highest level. Over and over again, Mr Sharma has spoken of an aggressive brand of cricket. But that vision is yet to manifest itself on the field.
The real problem is that cricket is changing, and India, its financial nerve centre, may be driving alterations beyond the boundary but is falling behind on the field of play. The issue is not personnel, or approach, or preparation, but all of the above. So, it’s time some tough calls are made. But who will make them? The two-Test tour of the West Indies in July-August can be an opportunity to press restart — just like India rebooted in 2007 following their group stage exit in the ODI World Cup. It’s time to throw young players into the deep end and see if they can swim in the choppy waters of top-flight cricket.
