India, Australia at even-steven stage

December 8, 2024 turned out to be a black Sunday for Indian cricket. The Indian Men’s Test team and the Women’s side both lost to Australia, whereas the Indian U19 side lost the final of the Asia Cup to Bangladesh. The disappointment of these defeats quite clearly indicates the present state of Indian cricket. Each one of the players has the potential to excel; however, there seems to be something far deeper that is bothering them.

The most common reason in the past for India’s failures seems to always point towards a lack of mental strength, anxiety or fear of failure. Watching the Gen Z of Indian cricket perform on the field, one feels none of these issues seem to actually matter. The young Indian cricketers, whether senior or junior men or women, they are bold, risk-takers, aggressive and super confident about their abilities. This attitude may be great when things are going well for one; however, it can lead to confusion when things go awry.

The popular T20 format and the IPL in India could be the real cause of the failing problem for the Indian cricketers. The opportunity to get recognised and rewarded all boils down to how one performs in the shortest version of the game. A prime example of the effect of such aggression was seen in the U-19 Asia Cup final.

The 13-year-old sensation, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, having just been bought for 1.1 crore in the IPL auction, played all his innings as an opening bat, like a pinch hitter rather than a genuine batter. His innings versus Nepal, a weak side, may have had him on a song and a dance; however, Pakistan and Bangladesh had him in the bag early, not because of his capabilities but on account of his immaturity and attitude.

Similarly, India’s other talented opener from Mumbai, Ayush Mhatre, played exactly in a similar manner, hoping more towards impressing an IPL franchisee rather than consolidating a win for India. One cannot blame them for their approach, as this is the trend of modern batting and one that is appreciated by the millions of cricket lovers. The problem that arises when one plays with such hard-gripping hands is that the artistry required to place the ball subtly or play it with soft hands disappears. This is where technical flaws creep in and the skill required to play a swinging or a turning ball leads to difficulty.

Joe Root for England and Kane Williamson for New Zealand are two batters who are proving to be the best in the business presently. Once they get set, they constructively and methodically score big runs. One barely sees them flashing and missing like so many of the young ‘bazball’ style batters. Their scores and consistency have shown that to be successful, the conventional style of play and understanding one’s game and the match situation are more important than a once in a while flamboyant innings.

The India versus Australia Test series is now at an even-steven stage. India demolished the Aussies in the first Test match, whereas they were beaten in the very next one quite comprehensively by Australia.

This is just the battle one was looking forward to. Two top sides of world cricket going head-on at each other. The most amusing part of the clash is the experts and media coverage around it. Established star cricketers are facing the wrath and criticism for their lacklustre performances. All will be forgotten and forgiven once they do well.

Virat Kohli, the man on whose shoulders Indian cricket has relied on in the past decade, is being battered for his technical faults. Although, he did get a wonderful century in the 1st Test, his failure in the next was enough to get the knife out for his executers. Similarly, captain Rohit Sharma is facing the heat for his failure, not only as a batter but also as a leader. Both Virat and Rohit are truly great batsmen and with 3 more Test matches to follow, it is only a question of time when they come forth with flying colours.

Steve Smith, the prolific run scorer and the mainstay of Australia’s Test batting, is another star who has failed. The Australian batting, apart from Travis Head, is looking brittle and one that Indian bowlers can trouble in the Test matches to come. They need Steve Smith to get into form, as Travis Head like Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Reddy are all products of Gen Z cricketers. Each one of them are wonderful and exciting to watch, however, there is never one whom a team could fully rely on.

The problem that India faces is the fitness of Jasprit Bumrah. India’s premier fast bowler and match winner did feel a slight niggle in the last Test match. Although, one would like to see the left arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja replace Harshit Rana, now that Nitish Reddy can serve as the third seamer, there may not be a change due to Bumrah’s questionable fitness.

The third Test match in Brisbane is very important for India. They need to win not only to boost their confidence but also to stay in the hunt to qualify for the World Test championship final 2025.

The present Australian side does not look as threatening or one that is in any way superior to India. The Indian top-order batters have to perform for India to do well. They did so in the second innings of the first Test match at Perth and sans the pink ball and the day-night affair, they should feel more at ease playing the red cherry. A fruit that they had tasted success against and one they need to do so this time around desperately.

(The writer is a former India cricketer. The views expressed are personal)