Yuvraj Singh, like many, is disappointed with India’s 0-3 series whitewash to New Zealand at home, but more importantly, has reminded the players that they have less than three weeks to sort everything out for the five-Test series in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India are still in contention for a place in the World Test Championship final, but the odds are heavily stacked against them.
They need to beat Australia by at least a 4-0 margin, if not more, if they are to make the summit clash for the third time in a row. It is easier said than done because beating the Aussies on their home soil is no piece of cake, with India needing to put up their best show ever to make it happen.
With the loss, Yuvraj emphasised on just how great a leveller the sport of cricket is. One day a team is riding on a never-before-witnessed high, and hits rock-bottom the other. Something similar has been experienced in Indian cricket. The pattern simply hasn’t been encouraging enough, with India’s decline not going unnoticed by Yuvraj.
“Cricket truly is a humbling sport, isn’t it? Just months after our T20 World Cup win, we face a historic whitewash. That’s the beauty of this game! Bigger tests lie ahead with the Australia series & the way forward is to introspect, learn and look up. Congratulations to the @BLACKCAPS on a well-rounded performance and a historic win,” Yuvraj tweeted.
And rightly so. Since the T20 World Cup, India beat Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in T20Is series before winning the Bangladesh Tests and T20Is 2-0 and 3-0 respectively. However, a 0-3 ODI drubbing in Sri Lanka and now a 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand promises to be a bitter pill to swallow. Having first lost to Sri Lanka in a bilateral ODI series after 28 years and now a Test series loss at home after 12 years, the Gautam Gambhir era hasn’t begun on the most promising note.
Yuvraj’s worry
As Yuvraj correctly pointed out, Australia would think India are sitting ducks and would try to make their stay Down Under miserable. This is the first time in 30 years that India and Australia will be playing a five-Test series, with the visitors bearing more pressure. Not only do they have to play for a place in the WTC final, but also have one eye on history – becoming the first team to win a hat trick of series in Australia. India won in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21, but given what has just transpired back home, it’s nothing less than a mountain to climb.
Besides, there is uncertainty over Rohit Sharma’s participation in the series opener at Perth starting November 22. Reports have surfaced that Rohit and his wife Ritika may be expecting their second child up and about the same time, in the case of which, India may be without their designated captain for the Perth Test. “Right now, I am not too sure whether I’ll be going, but let’s see. Fingers crossed,” said Rohit.