India's recent home Test performances have raised serious alarms after South Africa completed a 2-0 whitewash earlier this week. This follows New Zealand's 3-0 clean sweep last year, marking two consecutive home series defeats within 12 months. Former wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik expressed concern that teams once fearful of touring India now eagerly anticipate facing the struggling side. He emphasized that tough decisions from the BCCI are necessary to address the crisis. Karthik highlighted several troubling patterns: Indian bowlers being outperformed at home, excessive reliance on all-rounders, and constant changes in batting positions. He particularly questioned the instability at the number three position, where different players were used in consecutive matches. With India's next Test scheduled seven months away, Karthik wondered whether these shortcomings would be properly addressed or forgotten amid upcoming white-ball commitments.
Concerns Over Team Selection and Batting Instability
Karthik pointed out multiple tactical issues undermining India's home dominance. He noted that Nitish Reddy, selected as a pace all-rounder, had bowled merely 14 overs across the entire domestic season. The number three batting position has been particularly problematic, averaging just 26 runs in first innings during the current World Test Championship cycle. The team experimented with Washington Sundar at number three in Kolkata before switching to Sai Sudharsan in Guwahati. Karthik questioned whether this constant chopping and changing benefits the team or if greater stability is needed. He also observed that India managed only two century-makers in the series compared to South Africa's seven, highlighting a significant gap in batting performance at home.
Source: Link