What's Wrong With India's Batting in Recent Times? Indepth Analysis Featuring Border-Gavaskar Trophy

India’s recent struggles in Test cricket reflect inconsistent batting, with key players like Kohli and Rohit failing to find form. Despite strong individual performances, persistent issues, especially against Australia, remain unresolved.

The finalists of both World Test Championship cycles in the history of Test cricket—once the number-one ranked team for a long time before the home series against New Zealand and a side brimming with some of the finest red-ball cricketing talent—have suffered as many as 11 batting collapses in their last 14 innings.

If we set aside a few individual performances from these 14 innings, the overall display as a unit reveals two more poor performances. Not to mention, India managed to win just one Test out of those seven, and that too only when the entire top order fired up and put up substantial runs.

The most disheartening aspect is that India faltered against New Zealand at home, on pitches they themselves had chosen to play on. New Zealand, on the other hand, executed their plans and tactics flawlessly, adapting brilliantly to subcontinent conditions. They not only outplayed India but also delivered a resounding statement by securing a 3-0 whitewash in the Test series on Indian soil.

Following the home humiliation, India embarked on their tour of Australia for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and started on a high note, winning the first Test in Perth. Despite being bowled out for just 150 in the first innings, a brilliant 161 from Jaiswal and an unbeaten century from Kohli (100*) secured a memorable victory for India.

While Indian bowling, led by Jasprit Bumrah, has delivered consistently and performed satisfactorily, the same cannot be said for the batting lineup, which continues to struggle with inconsistency.

The second innings at Perth was the last time Indian batting displayed solidity. In the pink-ball Test at Adelaide, the team suffered a double collapse, resulting in a defeat. At Brisbane, KL Rahul, Jadeja, and Akash Deep were the only players to score above 20, highlighting the lack of form and consistency within the batting order.

The latest disappointment came in Melbourne, where the story was no different. Despite promising starts, the batters threw away their wickets, leading to yet another collapse. Jaiswal, however, continued his excellent form and proved to be the lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal batting performance, fully deserving the bit of luck that came his way.

Things Going Wrong With Indian Batting

Out of Form Captain

Rohit Sharma, the Indian Test Captain, is just out of the knick and it looks like he is out of the mindset he used to have. If we talk on his numbers in the Border Gavaskar trophy 2024-25, he has scored only 31 runs in the three tests of the series. His total runs in the series are just one more than Jasprit Bumrah's wickets in the series.

The runs simply aren’t coming. While the statistics might provide material for laughs and social media memes, on a serious note, they paint a grim picture of Rohit as a batter. Not only has he struggled with his form, but his performance as a Test captain has also been far from tactically sound or proactive. The prolonged lean patch has seemingly further impacted his decision-making, compounding the issues for both himself and the team

Virat and the fifth Stump Love Affair

‘Modern-day greats will figure out their way… you know… path,’ Rohit Sharma said with a smile when asked about Kohli's tendency to chase the fifth-stump ball ahead of the Boxing Day Test. Ironically, in both innings at the MCG, Kohli was dismissed chasing deliveries outside the off-stump, proving that the issue remains unresolved.

There seems to be a clear pattern emerging for both Kohli and Rohit, and opposing teams now know exactly how to send them back to the pavilion. The Australians, in particular, are enjoying testing Virat Kohli's patience, and it hasn’t taken much effort to reap the rewards. At this point, even someone like Mitch Marsh could dismiss Kohli by consistently bowling on the fourth or fifth stump line.

This issue needs to be addressed urgently. Kohli has earned his place among the greats over the years, but now it’s time for him to show how he can adapt and overcome this persistent fifth-stump vulnerability.

Rishabh Pant Being Over Aggressive 

Pant, known for his fearless and attacking style, has played key roles in many of India's victories. Yet, his tendency to go for high-risk shots has led to untimely dismissals, one of the most notable being a poor judgment call during the Melbourne Cricket Ground match, where he attempted an ill-conceived scoop shot.

Pant is putting in significant effort to get those valuable starts, and he’s been successful in doing so. But his aggressive instincts often take over, causing his well-earned starts to end in unfortunate dismissals.

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