In over a month in Australia, India witnessed it all. Highs in Perth, lows in Adelaide and a draw in Brisbane, with the weather helping generously in the final game.
With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series tied at 1-1 with two Tests remaining, Rohit Sharma’s side will get one more chance to revive their form.
R. Ashwin’s sudden retirement has added another layer that moving on is never easy when a champion is gone. In a sense, although it was not meant to be, he revived the transition process, a movement that resulted in Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane losing their Test places.
Rohit, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja from the original core team are still part of it. But time and tide wait for no man, and in the coming months and years, more legendary careers will come to a halt.
In this series, Kohli found his voice in Perth and then the old holes around him resurfaced. Rohit, meanwhile, kept struggling but either succumbed to tough deliveries or made lapses in judgement.
Jadeja finally got her chance at the Gabba with a rusty bowler and a brave batsman. With Ashwin out, he becomes the number one spinner in the team, even if that doesn’t guarantee a place in the eleven when playing overseas.
KL Rahul’s consistency (235 runs at an average of 47) and grit at the lower order have often helped India get out of trouble. But the rest of the batsmen have to come together, be it veterans like Kohli and Rohit or youngsters like Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal. It would be too lopsided to expect Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep to always bowl brilliantly and bat with gumption.
In a sense, the pair helped India save the third Test by avoiding subsequent Tests. Continuous rain during the test meant that the five-day match became a rarity. This frustrated the hosts’ plan to maximize their first-innings score of 445 runs. However, Team India was delighted to stage this great escape.
With the fourth Test starting from December 26, Rohit’s men have had some time to relax, train well and firm up their strategy. The failure of the veteran batsmen (Rahul being the exception) means Rishabh Pant, who comes in at five, has the task of rebuilding. He and Nitish Kumar provide some insurance, but constantly taking on salvage work can be an exhausting experience.
The coaching staff led by Gautam Gambhir must find a way to stifle Travis Head. The southpaw filled the cracks and launched a counterattack. Australia will be without the injured Josh Hazlewood but Scott Boland is a strong replacement.
Brisbane woke up to a sunny morning on Thursday, with clear Melbourne skies and a summery Christmas vibe. Hopefully, India will have a bright future in the days to come.
