Basic HTML Version

|  | Table of Contents |  | View Full Version

Page 37 - The Indian EYE 012326
P. 37

    STUMP VISION                                                         JANUARY 23, 2026      |  The Indian Eye 37

                No Panic, No Pause: Indian Cricket’s Great

                                                            Reset of 2025

             Even as Virat Kohli readies himself for another ODI series against New Zealand, questions linger over

             whether Indian cricket’s modern icon walked away from Test cricket before the story was truly finished.

                     ARCHAN MEHTA

               ndian cricket in 2025 didn’t stop,
               didn’t panic, and didn’t look back,
            Iit  simply learned  how  to  move
            on. 2025 will be remembered as the
            year  Indian  cricket  finally  accepted
            change. The warning signs came early
            during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
            in Australia. India’s 1–3 loss wasn’t
            just about scorelines; it exposed fa-
            tigue, pressure, and the weight carried
            by  senior  players.  The  defining  mo-
            ment came in Sydney when captain       Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli celebrate the team’s win in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final match against New Zealand (ANI file photo)
            Rohit Sharma dropped himself - an
            honest, painful decision that summed   balance,  India’s  white-ball  teams   group matches in the Women’s ODI   team swept Australia 3–0 in ODIs
            up the mood. By May, the inevitable   operated with complete authority.   World  Cup,  they  staged  a  remark-  and 2–0 in Tests on Australian soil.
            happened.  Within  one  week,  Rohit   Under Rohit Sharma’s leadership,   able comeback. Jemimah Rodrigues   One loss in the U-19 Asia Cup final
            Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from   India won the ICC Champions Tro-  scored a brilliant century against Aus-  didn’t change the message: Indian
            Test cricket, ending one of the most   phy  2025,  finishing  the  tournament   tralia in the semi-final, while Shafali   cricket’s future wasn’t coming; it was
            successful batting partnerships in In-  unbeaten and defeating New Zea-  Verma’s fearless 87 helped India win   already here.
            dian history. It felt emotional, but it   land  in  the  final.  Rohit  played  a   the final against South Africa. Deep-  The year ended with a beautiful
            also cleared space. Indian Test cricket   crucial  knock  in  the  final  and  was   ti  Sharma  was the backbone of the   contradiction. After retiring from
            didn’t collapse; it prepared to rebuild.  named Player of the Match, while   team,  finishing  with  22  wickets  and   Tests, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
                That rebuild began under Shub-  Virat Kohli topped the tournament’s   earning Player of the Series honors.   returned to ODIs and reminded ev-
            man Gill. Thrust into captaincy for   run charts with typical consistency. It   Smriti Mandhana had a historic year,   eryone why the format still matters.
            a  tough  five-Test  tour  of  England,   was vintage India, calm in pressure   crossing 10,000 international runs   Rohit scored an unbeaten 121 in
            Gill inherited a young team without   moments  and ruthless when  ahead.   and ending 2025 as the highest ODI   Sydney, while Kohli struck back-to-
            the comfort of Rohit, Kohli, or even   That dominance continued in the   run-scorer in the world with 1,362   back centuries against South Africa.
            Ravichandran Ashwin, who had re-  Asia Cup later in the year, where   runs at an average of 61.90. By year’s   Both put in intense preparation, Ro-
            tired earlier. Expectations were low,   a second-string Indian side led by   end, this team was no longer chasing   hit reportedly lost 10 kilos, and Kohli
            but the response was strong. India   Suryakumar Yadav lifted the title. In-  respect, they had earned it.  maintained peak discipline. Togeth-
            fought hard to secure a 2–2 series   dia defeated Pakistan three times in   As legends stepped away, In-  er, they crossed 26,000 ODI runs
            draw, playing brave, disciplined   the tournament, despite political ten-  dian cricket’s talent pipeline pro-  and 80 centuries, and their return
            cricket. Gill led from the front, scor-  sion and off-field drama. By the end   duced its most astonishing story yet.   to domestic cricket sparked massive
            ing 754 runs at an average of 75.40,   of the Champions Trophy, India had   Vaibhav Suryavanshi, just 14 years   fan interest. In a T20-driven era, Ro-
            including four centuries and a double   won 23 of their last 24 ICC matches,   old, became the youngest player in   hit and Kohli didn’t chase relevance,
            hundred. He looked calm, confident,   proving their white-ball system was   IPL history. He didn’t stop there; he   they created it.
            and ready. The reality check came   the strongest in the world.     smashed the fastest century by an In-  2025  proved  one  thing  clearly,
            later in November when South Af-      In a year full of big names and   dian (35 balls) and dominated across   Indian cricket doesn’t fear endings,
            rica whitewashed India 2–0 at home,   transitions, Indian women’s cricket   formats. He became the youngest   because it always knows how to be-
            including a crushing 408-run defeat   delivered the most emotional mo-  centurion in the Syed Mushtaq Ali   gin again.
            in Guwahati. It was a reminder that   ment. The Indian women’s team won   and Vijay Hazare Trophies, and the   Archan Mehta is a writer dedicated to
            transitions take time and patience.  their  first-ever  ICC  title,  changing   fastest to score a Youth ODI hun-  telling compelling stories about ath-
                While Test cricket searched for   the story forever. After losing three   dred. Around him, India’s Under-19   letes, teams, and the world of cricket

                                                                   www.TheIndianEYE.com

| 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 |