India has won only one out of their last nine Test matches — a fact everyone knows. But what if I told you that India is caught in a loop, repeating a pattern from 10 years ago?
India’s recent defeat at Leeds wasn’t just a bad day at work. This is a team once known for its grit and fight, now struggling to stay together. A humiliating 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand, a 3-1 thrashing in Australia, and now trailing 1-0 in England with four more Tests left.
Missing the latest World Test Championship (WTC) final — after playing the first two — was the first major warning. The batting has lost its sharpness, the bowling looks tired, and the killer instinct seems missing after the retirement of stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
What’s scary is how familiar this situation feels. Think back to India’s tour of England in 2014. India led the series 1-0 but then collapsed dramatically, losing three consecutive Tests. After that came a 2-0 defeat in the four-match Test series in Australia. Midway through that series, MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket, and Virat Kohli took charge. His start wasn’t smooth either — a drawn series in Bangladesh followed by a painful defeat at Galle against Sri Lanka. That was the last time India went through a phase of winning just one out of nine Test matches.
But that collapse triggered a comeback. India bounced back, winning the series 2-1 in Sri Lanka. That victory marked the beginning of a golden era — eight consecutive Test series wins, 19 victories in 27 Tests, and only one series loss.
Now, the spotlight shifts to Shubman Gill. Next up is Edgbaston — a venue where India has never won a Test. A loss here would mark India’s worst Test run in a decade. But a victory could be the turning point that starts a new chapter in Indian Test cricket.
If we truly believe that history repeats itself every decade, then maybe this loop is a signal. Just like 10 years ago, the tables might start turning — not in despair, but in resurgence. Birmingham could witness the beginning of India's next great Test journey.
