India Home ODI Defeat: Indian cricket, which was long synonymous with dominance under Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, now stumbles from one heartbreak to another. The Indian team lost the third and final one-day international (ODI) to New Zealand at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore by 41 runs despite a valiant century by Kohli.
The most worrying part is that Team India’s loss was against a New Zealand C team that lacked specialists such as Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult and Glenn Phillips. Why is India losing even on home grounds lately – all-rounder drought, the slump of Ravindra Jadeja, selection prejudices, coaching failures, Shubman Gill’s poor captaincy, too much importance given to IPL and not to domestic cricket or something completely different?
India Home ODI Defeat-The List of Possible Reasons
First things first, the present-day Indian team under coach Gautam Gambhir seems to favour out-of-form veterans like Ravindra Jadeja over in-form youngsters such as Sarfaraz Khan, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy. This favouritism breeds imbalance and resentment as veterans coast on reputation while youngsters lose hunger.
Lately, prejudices have been playing a sneaky role from IPL hype to regional biases trumping domestic grind. The selection of out-of-touch players over aggressive pacers such as Mukesh Kumar screamed favouritism.
All-Rounder Void: No Hardik, No Hope?
The Indian bench is barren. Axar Patel is no game-changer, the injury-prone cameos of Hardik Pandya are best left aside. In contrast, Michael Bracewell exposed the gap, chipping in with both bat and ball. The over-reliance of India on top-order fireworks leaves the middle order exposed, especially on seaming tracks.
Jadeja’s Poor Run: From Star to Liability?
Ravindra Jadeja, once the ultimate all-rounder, has hit a wall. In recent times, his fielding lapses have multiplied, batting averages have plummeted and spin bowling statistics have lacked bite. Fans idolize him, but sentiment can’t trump team selections.
Coaching Lapses: Gautam Gambhir’s Tenure Under Scrutiny
Gautam Gambhir’s tenure has been a mixed bag. While the team won two trophies under him, the losses even in home conditions have been heart-breaking to say the least. New Zealand Test Series in 2024, Australia Test Series in 2024-25 and South Africa Test Series in 2025 have been notable. In ODIs, team India has lost to New Zealand and South Africa.
Ruthless selections, all-rounder investments and performance-based axe for stars like Jadeja are the solutions ahead but would India take these hard decisions?