“If he couldn’t plan a successful strategy for a home series, how will he fare in a tougher away series?,” asks veteran cricket correspondent KR Nayar.

Team India was defeated by New Zealand with a 3-0 clean sweep in the Test series at home. It’s time to face some realities about cricket. However, this is not the time to blame Team India players or tarnish their reputation.

Before analyzing the defeat, a crucial question that needs to be asked to Indian fans is: Are India a team that should never get beaten at home?

IMAGE: Indians congratulate Kiwis on historic feat. All photographs: ANI Photo

Are India a team that should never get beaten?

The expectations of the Indian team’s fans are such that it is difficult for them to accept that they can lose home Test matches even within three days.

What is even harder to accept is that New Zealand played superior cricket in India. We must recognize that this is possible in cricket, and New Zealand showed that a collective effort, with players executing their roles to perfection, can defeat even the toughest opponents in unfamiliar conditions.

Running machines, like any machine, can fail

Rohit Sharma will now be known as the first Indian captain to be whitewashed in a three-Test series at home, a mark that will remain despite his success as a World Cup-winning skipper.

This series highlights that, in Test cricket, cohesive and collective team performance is essential.

Operating machines, like any machine, can break down, especially when they are expected to operate continuously at peak levels.

IMAGE: New Zealand players celebrate their third Test victory against India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

When a spinner of Indian origin spun India

We must also accept that the days when only sub-continental spinners dominated in sub-continental conditions are a thing of the past.

New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel, born in Mumbai and man of the match in the third Test, demonstrated that other teams’ spinners can outplay local specialists.

IMAGE: New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel presented the Player of the Match trophy after his team won the third Test against India by 25 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The same goes for hitters. New Zealand did not have Kane Williamson, who is often mentioned alongside Indian legends like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Despite this, they showed that lesser batsmen can outplay Indian greats and win matches.

Some argue that these two icons could be looking towards the end of their careers, especially after such a series loss at home. Such an observation is justified because they failed at home.

Cricket has examples of many greats approaching their end at the same time and what New Zealand did was exploit Rohit and Kohli’s struggles to their full advantage.

Is Gambhir the right choice as coach?

This setback could be forgotten if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli shine in the upcoming series in Australia.

However, if they fail in this area as well, it could mean the end of their career. Repeated failures after age 36 can precipitate a player’s retirement. Kohli turned 36 on November 5 and Rohit is now over 37.

It is also time to ask whether coach Gautam Gambhir is the right choice. If he couldn’t plan an effective strategy for a home series, how will he fare in a tougher away series? Many teams have faced continuous defeats, but if the Indian team’s defeat continues for some time, it could push Gambhir to the brink.

When too many eyeballs are on the Indian team

New Zealand arrived in India after a 2-0 defeat against Sri Lanka, while Bangladesh beat Pakistan 2-0, but lost to India by the same margin. Just like captains say that every match is a new game, Indian fans should also accept that every series is a new series.

India’s defeat in the series is heavily debated or blown out of proportion because too many eyes are on the Indian team. And when they lose, most critics draw their knives. Pushed against the wall, India must now try its luck.

IMAGE: New Zealand are the first team to whitewash India in a series of three or more Tests in 91 years.

As I said at the beginning, it’s time to understand some of the realities of cricket and also to get back to basics. The harsh reality is that even for fans, a superstar is only as good as his last innings or last overs.

There are fans who called Sachin Tendulkar Endulkar when he lost his form. The attitude towards Team India will be the same if they do not regain their lost reputation.