'Cricket's evolved' - Dinesh Karthik breaks down reasons behind India’s recent Test struggles | Exclusive

Former wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has given his take on India’s recent struggles in Test cricket, especially at home under Gautam Gambhir’s tutelage. India endured an unprecedented 0-3 defeat against New Zealand in 2024 and, more recently, lost 0-2 to South Africa, with their dominant home record taking a severe hit.

Karthik reckoned that there is no straightforward answer to the question, highlighting multiple factors behind the dip in the team’s form and consistency. He also elaborated that the World Test Championship (WTC) has changed the grammar of Test cricket.

“First of all, it's not a simple question. If it was that simple, I'm sure Gautam Gambhir would be happy to do what is required. My take on it is cricket's evolved,” Karthik said at the launch of Mr Cricket UAE in Dubai.

“In general, after the World Test Championship point system, the fact that you can play that final at the end of a two-year cycle, that small little carrot that has been available, I think teams have looked at it very differently. They play a lot more matches to win, so they play a lot more challenging pitches,” he added.

Karthik shed light on how the shift has impacted bowlers, suggesting that the quality of spin bowling has become “a lot more efficient” as compared to the past. He further highlighted that India’s aim to dominate overseas has led to an increasing number of pace-friendly pitches being prepared at home.

While that has improved India’s game against pace, it has come at the expense of their ability to tackle spin, something that led to India’s undoing in both the series defeats at home against New Zealand and South Africa.

“The general quality of spin bowling has become a lot more efficient, you can say, compared to how it was prior to that. India, over the last 10-15 years, has focused a lot on playing abroad. So, they've prepared a lot of pitches that suit domestic cricket more for the pacers than for the spinners.

“If you add both of them together, you can understand the quality of playing pace bowlers have increased in India. And probably the quality of playing spinners, because of the pitches they play on in domestic cricket, has reduced a little bit,”

Karthik also attributed the exits of senior players in quick succession as one of the reasons behind India’s struggles as they grapple with transition.

“When you lose players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, [R] Ashwin in a span of six months, it takes time. It's a team in transition. So I would like to think these are the reasons why, in the recent past, India had its challenges in Test cricket,” he concluded.