The finale in Dharamsala had all the trappings of India’s unyielding dominance at home, which stretched to a 17th series win on the bounce, spilling over into its 12th year. The contest was wrapped up in nine sessions; the Indian spin troika had nabbed 18 wickets, and the opposition batters capitulated meekly twice in three days.
Though triumphs at home in the longest format have come to be seen as a rite of passage in this part of the world, this 4-1 series win marked a crucial inflection point in the trajectory of Indian Test cricket that went beyond the temporal gains of consolidating the top spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings, toppling Australia to claim the pole position in the ICC rankings, and stopping the evangelism of Bazball in its tracks.
With India missing 227 precious Test caps in Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, and KL Rahul (ruled out after the first Test), four of the five debutants in the series not only filled the void with distinction but also pointed to a bright future on the horizon for a side that could usher in a period of transition following the ongoing WTC cycle (2023–25).
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They weren’t just hastily slotted into stop-gap measures but held the promise of taking on specific roles in the long term. Sarfaraz Khan lived up to the hype of his highly anticipated debut with a counter-attacking 66-ball 62 in Rajkot. A rare full-blooded sweeper of the ball, he brings a very different dimension to India’s middle-order. His strike rate of 79.36, the second highest for India, belies his ability to pick his moments, which was on display in Dharamsala when he crawled to nine off 30 balls before rushing to a 55-ball fifty.
Man of the moment: Yashasvi Jaiswal became the fastest Indian to reach 1000 runs as an opener in men’s Tests, bettering the record held by captain Rohit Sharma. He was adjudged Man of the Series. | Photo Credit: R. V. MOORTHY
Dhruv Jurel’s debut coincided with Sarfaraz’s but was somewhat lost amidst the fanfare until he had his moment under the sun in Ranchi, first with a situation-defying 149-ball 90 and then a match-winning, unbeaten 39 in a nerve-battering run-chase. Drafted into the squad as backup to a backup wicketkeeper, K.S. Bharat, Jurel’s classical technique against spin makes him a solid No. 7 option, and his ability to bat with the tail means he can hold his own even as a specialist batter.
With Jasprit Bumrah rested for what turned out to be the series-clincher in Ranchi, Akash Deep’s three-wicket haul in the opening burst on the first day was a testament to the quality of India’s assembly line of pacers coming through the ranks in domestic cricket. With Akash hitting the deck hard at a good pace and probing away in the channel outside off, Bumrah’s workload could be managed without compromising too much on quality.
After a prolific Ranji Trophy season, Devdutt Padikkal showed he also belongs to the next level with a visually pleasing 65 in the final Test. He uses his range rather than feet to good effect against spin and unlocks a unique facet in a right-hander-heavy middle-order.
The impressive outings for the debutants came on the back of creditable performances during the England Lions’ tour of India, which ran parallel to the Test series. The only outlier was Rajat Patidar, who struck two hundreds against the Lions but couldn’t find his feet at the top level.
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India’s heartening success with inexperience was pervasive. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kuldeep Yadav, with a combined 12 Test caps ahead of the series, shouldered the bulk of the load. While Jaiswal broke a slew of records on his way to becoming only the second India to breach the 700-run mark in a single Test series and cemented the opener’s slot, Kuldeep returned from the Test wilderness to vindicate the management’s refreshing departure from its selection policy.
With Ravindra Jadeja injured following the first Test, India may have been tempted to draft in all-rounder Washington Sundar but instead opted for Kuldeep’s superior skills with the ball. The result was a 19-wicket haul at a miserly average of 20.15, significantly superior to that of Ravichandran Ashwin (24.8) and Jadeja (25.05).
Kuldeep is often the one to make way when the management wants to shoehorn in an extra batter or pacer. But when Kuldeep’s spin trumped Axar Patel’s prowess with the bat against spin in making way for Sarfaraz’s debut, that policy turned a corner. He repaid the faith with the bat too, putting a premium on his wicket by facing 362 balls, significantly more than what Jonny Bairstow could manage (290).
The series also helped solidify India’s top three. After a string of low scores since opting to drop down to No. 3 in the West Indies, Shubman Gill was under pressure before redeeming himself with two hundreds and a couple of gritty second-innings knocks to all but seal his spot. With skipper Rohit Sharma also among the runs, the top-order looks settled, but the return of Kohli and Rahul could ruffle some feathers in the middle-order when Bangladesh and New Zealand come touring. With India concluding its WTC cycle with a five-match showdown Down Under late in the year, the complexion of the middle-order could drastically change with the conditions.
Insatiable appetite: England’s James Anderson became the first pace bowler to take 700 Test wickets after dismissing India’s Kuldeep Yadav in the fifth Test. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
England, on the other hand, doesn’t have the luxury of looking that far ahead. That it languishes in the eighth spot in the WTC standings after 10 matches against two of its most formidable opponents — Australia and India — should pose an existential question.
Following its shock win in the first Test in Hyderabad, which prompted India to prepare pitches on which batting isn’t a lottery, it has been a campaign of ‘what ifs’ for England.
Perhaps it could have opted for a five-man bowling attack rather than saddling an under-fire Joe Root with 118 overs. What if Root hadn’t been as besotted with his reverse scoop when England was on top in the first innings in Rajkot?
Perhaps a tweak in approach could have seen it over the line in a record chase on a benign Visakhapatnam wicket. Could Ben Stokes have done more with the ball than making a guest appearance on the penultimate day of the series?
The gospel of Bazball arrived with temptation but left Indian shores with a faint whisper: England registered the second-highest run rate (3.84) ever by a visiting side in India. A shade lower, India’s 3.49 was more than a handful for it. To England’s credit, it did run the host close at times despite an inexperienced spin attack. But barring Zak Crawley’s consistency, flashes of Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett’s exhilarating hundreds, and some inspired spells from James Anderson, Stokes, and Brendon McCullum will do well to recall little more than glorious defeat from this tour.
Having lost five out of 13 Tests since the start of 2023, it is perhaps time to add substance to the spectacle; otherwise, England’s revolution may have run its course.
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