From fortress to fault lines: How India lost their Test edge and what they must change to reclaim glory

For nearly a decade, India set the benchmark in Test cricket. They ruled at home with ruthless efficiency, travelled with a pace attack capable of winning series overseas, and reached two World Test Championship finals that validated their all-condition dominance. That authority has unravelled with surprising speed.

A home whitewash against New Zealand, followed by defeat in Australia and a series loss to
South Africa has not merely dented India’s record; it has exposed a side uncertain of its own
identity.

The decline has coincided with Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as head coach, and while timing alone does not establish causation, the broader trend is impossible to ignore. India’s recent results reflect more than a team in transition. They point to a blueprint that has drifted.

The numbers behind the slide, India were once almost untouchable on home soil. That aura has faded rapidly. Multiple home defeats within a short span have dragged down a win percentage that previously hovered among the best in Test history. What was once an occasional setback has begun to resemble a pattern.

The most worrying aspect is not the losses themselves, but how they have unfolded. India have
repeatedly controlled large portions of matches, only to surrender momentum during decisive
sessions. Dominance without closure has become a recurring theme.

A transition without clarity

The response to decline has been drastic rather than deliberate. Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement during the Australia series, followed by the exits of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, marked the end of an era in quick succession. Such transitions are inevitable, but their handling defines outcomes.

Instead of a phased rebuild, India appear to have lurched into uncertainty. Roles have shifted,
combinations have changed frequently, and players have been selected without a clear long-term
intent. Transition, in this context, has begun to look like improvisation.

Why Tests still demand specialists

One of the clearest shifts in India’s approach has been an increasing reliance on all-rounders.
While versatility is a modern necessity, Test cricket, particularly at home, continues to
reward specialisation.

India’s greatest strength during their dominant phase was not balance on paper, but clarity in
execution. Bowlers were trusted to take 20 wickets. Batters were tasked with time, patience, 
and control. That definition has blurred.

Despite possessing elite bowlers, India have struggled to apply sustained pressure. Opponents
have been allowed to recover too often, post imposing totals and dictate terms. In response,
India’s batting has looked reactive rather than resolute, vulnerable once early wickets fall.

The spin question

Nowhere is the loss of edge more evident than in spin bowling. The Ashwin–Jadeja partnership
was the engine of India’s home dominance. Ashwin’s retirement left Jadeja as the leader, but
leadership in spin is as much about sustained threat as it is about control.

While Jadeja continues to contribute with the bat, his impact as a strike bowler has waned.
Without a spinner consistently forcing errors, Indian pitches no longer feel oppressive to visiting
teams.

Batting roles that need fixing

India’s batting issues are structural rather than individual. The absence of a settled No. 3 has created instability at the top, while the middle order has lacked experience in pressure situations. Injuries to Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have exacerbated the problem, but reliance on a handful of batters is not a sustainable model.

Test cricket demands hierarchy, players who absorb pressure, players who rotate strike, and
players who shift momentum. At present, those responsibilities are blurred.

Lessons from a proven blueprint

India’s rise to the summit was not accidental. It was built on a fearsome pace battery, a world-class spin duo, uncompromising fitness standards, and unwavering role clarity. Under Ravi Shastri, players were trusted through lean patches, and messaging remained consistent across long Test cycles.

That approach reached its peak during the historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy win in 2020–21, when an injury-ravaged India still found ways to out-think and outlast Australia.

What the reset must look like

The solution does not lie in nostalgia or cosmetic changes. India must return to fundamentals:

• Identify and back specialist batters and bowlers
• Restore spin as a weapon, not merely a holding option
• Rebuild fitness and fielding standards
• Create a visible pathway from domestic cricket through A tours to the Test side
• Resist constant tinkering in favour of long-term conviction

Domestic performers must be rewarded meaningfully, not symbolically. Leaving consistent run-scorers on the fringes without opportunity weakens trust in the system.

The road back

Every great team faces decline. What defines eras is how quickly and decisively the correction is
made. India still possess the talent and depth to reclaim their authority, particularly at home.

But dominance in Test cricket is not inherited; it is constructed, session by session, decision by decision. Until India rediscover the discipline and clarity that once defined them, the fortress will remain vulnerable, and the reset will remain incomplete.