'If he couldn't plan a successful strategy for a home series, how will he manage in a more challenging away series?', asks veteran cricket correspondent K R Nayar.
Team India has been thrashed by New Zealand through a clean 3-0 sweep in the Test series at home. It's time to face certain realities about cricket. However, this is not the time to accuse Team India players or tarnish their reputations.
Before we analyse the defeat, a critical question that must be asked to the Indian fans is: Is India a team that should never get thrashed at home?
Is India a team that should never get thrashed?
Expectations from fans of the Indian team are such that it's hard for them to accept they could lose Test matches at home, even wrapping up within three days.
What's even harder to accept is that New Zealand played superior cricket in India. We must acknowledge this is possible in cricket, and New Zealand has shown that a collective effort, with players executing their roles to perfection, can overcome even the toughest opponents in unfamiliar conditions.
Run machines, like any machine, can fail
Rohit Sharma will now be known as the first Indian captain to be whitewashed in a three Test series on home soil, a mark that will stick despite his success as a World Cup-winning skipper.
This series highlights that, in Test cricket, a consistent and collective team performance is essential.
Run machines, like any machine, can break down, especially when expected to perform at peak levels continuously.
When a spinner of Indian origin spun India
We must also accept that the days when only subcontinental spinners dominated in subcontinental conditions are a thing of the past.
New Zealand's Ajaz Patel, born in Mumbai and man of the match in the third Test, demonstrated that spinners from other teams can out-perform local specialists.
The same goes for batters. New Zealand didn't have Kane Williamson, who is often mentioned alongside Indian legends like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Despite this, they showed that batsmen with lesser reputations can outscore Indian greats and win matches.
There are claims that these two icons may be turning towards the end of their careers, especially after such a home series loss. Such an observation is justifiable because they have failed on home soil.
Cricket has examples of many greats nearing their end at the same time and what New Zealand did was to exploit the struggles of Rohit and Kohli to their full advantage.
Is Gambhir the right choice as coach?
This setback may be forgotten if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli shine in the upcoming series in Australia.
However, if they fail there as well, that could signal the end of their careers. Repeated failures after age 36 can hasten a player's retirement. Kohli turned 36 on November 5, and Rohit is now over 37.
It's also time to question whether Coach Gautam Gambhir is the right choice. If he couldn't plan a successful strategy for a home series, how will he manage in a more challenging away series? There are many teams that have faced continuous defeats, but if Team India's defeat goes on for a while, that could push Gambhir to the edge.
When too many eye balls are on the Indian team
New Zealand arrived in India after a 2-0 loss to Sri Lanka, while Bangladesh defeated Pakistan 2-0, but lost to India by the same margin. Just as captains say that every game is a new game, India fans should also accept that every series is a new series.
India's series defeat is heavily debated or blown up because too many eye balls are on the Indian team. And when they lose, most critics come out with their knives drawn. Pushed to the wall, India must now go for the kill.
As I said at the start, this is the time to understand certain realities about cricket and also go back to the basics. The harsh reality is that even for fans, a superstar is only as good as his last innings or last series.
There are fans who addressed Sachin Tendulkar as Endulkar when he slipped out of form. The attitude towards Team India will be the same if they do not regain their lost reputation.
