Couple of years ago Rohit Sharma snapped on the field during a Test match at the lack of intensity from his younger team-mates, “Yadi koi garden mey ghooma, toh sab ki …” It became an amusing viral meme, reenacted by him as a joke in talk shows and IPL franchise’s social-media content at various points. But in the moment, when it was said, it wasn’t a joke – he really was pissed off at the intensity. Now, with the , Indian Test cricket is in the hands of those ‘garden mey ghoomne waale log’.
Rohit’s retirement was nudged by selectors, but they weren’t ready for Kohli’s move, and suddenly Indian Test cricket is left with a highly inexperienced team and a novice captain in all likelihood.
This isn’t just uncertainty left by the exit of two men whose auras were so big that they were the team’s identity. That happens with many sporting teams. The uncertainty is about the readiness of the younger lot in the oldest format. They were lucky that they had Kohli and Rohit for a while to shape and mould them, and hopefully leave a lingering effect on their own cricket. But Indian cricket certainly is in uncharted territory now: for the first time perhaps, they will largely be led by a generation who hasn’t quite warmed up to rigours of Test cricket.
Things had come to a boil during the Test series in Australia earlier this year, with the head coach stepping in to serve his diktat on commitment and discipline in sticking to a team plan. From the start of the tour, as this newspaper had reported then, there were a couple of players with ambitions of leading the team and during the Sydney Test, when he dropped himself, decided to let off some steam in front of cameras.
When he was asked about if any youngster is ready to lead the Test team, Rohit didn’t hold back. “It is very difficult to say. There are many boys. But I want them to understand the importance of cricket first. Understand the importance of this place. They are new boys. I know they should be given responsibility. But let them earn it. Let them play some hard-fought cricket for the next few years or whatever it is. Let them earn it,” Rohit told Star Sports.
“I am here now. Bumrah is here. Virat was here before him. MS Dhoni was here before him. Everyone has earned it. Kisi ne humko plate pe saja ke nahi dia (no one gave it to us on a plate). No one should get it like this. Let them work hard. There is a lot of talent in the boys. But at the same time, I also want to say that it is not easy to become the captain of India. There is pressure. But it is a great honour. Our history and the way we play cricket has a great responsibility on both shoulders. So let them earn it.”
India have not played any Test after that series, and so Rohit’s assessment is still valid. And it’s likely to be led by players who in Rohit’s words haven’t earned it yet. That’s the kind of high-stakes Indian Test cricket finds itself in. ’s body isn’t trusted to last 5 Tests in a row, Mohammd Shami is just coming back after injury layoff, and , for all his cool-renaissance in , has to prove that he can perform consistently through a series, and not just a knock or two of substance.
Remarkably, has proved to be the Great Survivor of our time as he has not only outlasted R Ashwin in Test cricket but has also seen the exits of Kohli and Sharma. However, considering Gambhir had not played him in the initial part of the Australia series, the longevity of his Test career isn’t clear. India’s experienced pool is these four players but they have their own issues. Bumrah and Shami with their bodies, Jadeja with trust from the management, and Rahul with the pressure of repaying the trust in him.
Most important figurehead of this team in the new phase becomes Gautam Gambhir, the head coach who has to steer India through this tricky phase. The rigours of Test cricket is quite severe to say the least, and the boys have to grow into men, as they say, having been thrown into the deep end. Their motivations, urges, discipline, and passion for that format will now be tested. It’s one thing to mouth the cliche about Test cricket being ultimate, quite another thing to walk the talk.
Over the last couple of years, Rohit has occasionally spoken on the sidelines that his effort to make the youngsters understand the nuance of Test cricket was mentally exhausting. Always protective about the young, he didn’t name anyone but one could read his wariness about the impetuous players who need to be educated all the time.
When his struggles overwhelmed him during the latter part of the Australia series, Kohli had stepped in to take a bigger leadership role. There he was on the penultimate day of the Sydney Test, in the absence of Rohit and Bumrah, waving his hand regally, taking full control on the field. A scene from his pomp: the flailing arms, the clapping hands, the chattering mouth, the whipping of the Indian section of fans, the annoyance if any fielder wasn’t clued in, and the involvement with his entire being. Now, neither the elder-brotherly way of Rohit who can scold and cajole, or the passionate leader of Kohli who can scowl and push, will be missing. The boys will have to learn by themselves not to wander but to take care of the garden. And that will determine not just their own careers but define Indian cricket’s immediate future.
