WTC final: Why do Indians keep floundering in big matches?

It was one of the best finals in the history of Wimbledon. USA’s Andy Roddick was throwing everything he had at Switzerland’s Roger Federer and played the match of his life. And yet, he ended up second best. Roddick’s tears at the prize-giving ceremony resonated with the spectators. Here was a champion who had done the sport proud. He had fought, stayed true, but was eventually outclassed by perhaps the greatest that has ever played the sport.

Roddick wasn’t disgraced. His quest continued. There are others like Roddick. Ivan Lendl, one of the greatest of all time, immediately comes to mind. Lendl never won Wimbledon. The same applies for Cristiano Ronaldo in the FIFA World Cup, something that will always put a question mark on his legacy. That’s what can happen to India and Rohit Sharma in the World Test Championship (WTC) final yet again. India could settle for second best for the second time in two years.

Does the final defeat make this team a bad one? Two years of solid Test cricket can’t be undone by one bad game. But why does it happen repeatedly? Are there lessons to be learnt? Changes have to be made to ensure the same mistakes aren’t repeated in future and that ICC Trophy stops being elusive.

Under Virat Kohli, India played four knockout games in the ICC tournaments and lost three. And the same disturbing trend is now continuing under Rohit. He may continue to talk about process and deny additional pressure, with time the walls will start closing in on him.

Finals don’t come easy. The enormity of these occasions will eventually get to him. Maybe he will have one final opportunity at home in the 50-over World Cup, unless there is a miracle at The Oval.

A look at India’s performances in the finals throws up some interesting insights. It was at The Oval in 2017 that Kohli made the mistake in the Champions Trophy final by deciding to bowl after winning the toss. It was cloudy and overcast to start with. But it was Pakistan that cashed in. In 2023 at the same ground, it is Rohit and Rahul Dravid who have overthought the Ravichandran Ashwin selection issue seeing the weather and the pitch. And Australia have made the most of the opportunity.The lack of clarity from India on the big stages is a story in itself. Either they overthink or get defensive and hand over the advantage to the opposition.India decided to pick two bowlers who weren’t fully fit during the IPL and dropped their most successful bowler. Greg Chappell was right when he said, “Ashwin has a mental edge over the Australian batters. But if you pick a third seamer, he will certainly not have that effect”.

So why did the think tank not go with the simple plan of picking the best bowlers, despite the abundance of left handers in the opposition line-up?

To go back in time, India were up against England 1-0 going into Southampton in 2014. India decided against picking two spinners at Southampton and left Ashwin out, opting to play Pankaj Singh instead. Moeen Ali, not half the Test bowler as Ashwin, picked 8/129 and bowled England to victory.

Dravid as captain of India is celebrated much less than he perhaps deserves. He won India a series in England in 2007 and took some bold calls like playing Irfan Pathan at No. 3 in ODIs. As coach, however, Dravid has been defensive and conventional. Not playing Ishan Kishan is an example. Kishan is no Rishabh Pant but is the closest like-for-like replacement. India went in with Srikar Bharat, the more conventional keeper.

They haven’t tried any new batter in the last two years. Why not look at Sarfraz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal or Tilak Verma? With a new WTC cycle starting after the final, it is imperative India do so to start building the team.

Without offering it as an excuse, the BCCI should give some thought to the scheduling of the WTC final. It’s okay to castigate Indians for underperforming with the bat, the truth is that even Sir Donald Bradman would have found it difficult to come and perform in English conditions against the moving ball after two months of IPL cricket.

No practice match or a first-class game meant India went into the final underprepared. If this scheduling is allowed to carry on, India will never be 100 per cent ready for a WTC final.

In 2021, New Zealand were in England for close to a month and played two Test matches against England before the WTC final. It was no surprise that they dominated the game.

In 2023, while the Australians were practicing with the red ball in Sydney, most of the Indian players were busy playing the IPL play-offs. With the IPL schedule being sacrosanct and the tournament being the beating heart of India’s cricket economy, the only option for the BCCI is to push for the WTC final to be hosted at a later date. A oneoff Test could certainly be played in September in England, and such a schedule would allow India to prepare better. It would help make the WTC final a level playing field.