For former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar it won't be a "surprise" if the India selectors take a "bold decision" in the upcoming Test tour of England after the World Test Championship final hopes were quashed in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
When India's Test fortress at home fell with a beyond-belief 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand, the hopes of reaching the WTC final remained.
However, India's WTC final hope took its last breath in Syndey when Australia finished the series in style to bring the BGT back home after a decade. Australia kept its chance to defend the WTC mace intact at the cost of India's spot in the final.
The declining performances of some senior Indian players came on the radar, raising questions about their future in the Test format. India skipper Rohit Sharma and batting stalwart Virat Kohli emerged as the main faces in the spotlight of criticism.
After weighing in his batting struggles, Rohit decided to opt out of the Sydney Test when retaining the BGT title was on the line. Even Virat faded when the stakes were high, and India needed its experienced star to deliver with the bat.
With changes likely for the England series, Gavaskar admitted he wouldn't be surprised if the selectors take a "bold decision" in the next WTC cycle.
'Now that India has failed to qualify for the World Test Championship final and the new cycle for the WTC starting with the tour to England in mid-June, it won't be a surprise if the selectors take the bold decision to start the qualification process by looking for players who would be there for the next final in 2027,' Gavaskar wrote in his column in The Sydney Morning Herald.
One of the factors that contributed to the downfall of the Indian team was the shambolic batting display throughout the series. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Ravindra Jadeja thoroughly underperformed.
In India's 3-1 series loss, Kohli scored just 190 runs at an average of 23.75 in eight innings, while Rohit managed a mere 31 runs across three Tests in the series.
Gavaskar described Rohit's decision to 'step aside' in the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) as a "brave decision," acknowledging that Rohit seemed "out of his depth" throughout the tour.
Rohit recognised the slump in his batting and its impact on the team. For the final Test, when India had one last opportunity to retain the BGT, he chose to sit out to give his side the best chance.
'The skipper, Rohit Sharma, was out of his depth and having taken the brave decision to step aside, because of his form, he has also raised big questions about his future in Test cricket,' Gavaskar further wrote.
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