Why India's hate story with Tests continues

So, India has won another ODI series with a match to spare. Dhoni has been exceptional in this series, and so has been Ravindra Jadeja. Even the off-colour Rohit Sharma has managed to find some form with a well-scored 83 in the 4th ODI. Except for the recent Pakistan series, India has barely ever lost at home in ODIs, and even in foreign pitches, India has managed to put up some great performances. So what the Indian fans really wonder is why our team cannot put up such performances in the test level. It’s easier said than done. There are many minor factors which actually results in a huge impact.

1. The ball: The red cherry is much more difficult to play than the white ball. The shine of the white ball gets depleted quite soon, whereas the shine remains for quite a while in the red one. Moreover, the old red ball is much more difficult to play than the white ones, as a 40-50 over old red ball turns more than the white ones, and also the reverse swing factor comes into the picture. So I think that this factor is one of the major reasons for the downfall of Indian batsmen in recent times in Tests.

2. The pitch and conditions: ODIs are meant for entertainment. So most of the pitches are made so that the crowd gets their value for money. And our Indian players are very adept to this, especially after the inception of the IPL. But Tests require pure skill and concentration, and the players are tested with hard conditions and pitches. It is here that the players are yet to adapt themselves to the longer version, in terms of the conditions.

3. The mentality of the bowlers: The Indian bowlers are, clearly, suitable for only the shorter version of the game. They try to bowl the yorkers and variations where they must concentrate more on line and length. Yes,they must adjust themselves to the shorter versions of the game. But it doesn’t mean that they compromise on their ability in the test arena. Our bowlers however think differently, and we all know how poor even our spinners were in the Test series against England.

What I have shared are some of the main causes. Even the state of mind of the player while playing Tests, and his fitness forms a major role. Our team management needs to take up these issues and find a solution for it.