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All is not well for Team India

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As the fourth and final Test looms large over Indians, not all is well inside the dressing room. This series is turning out into a big disaster for the visitors. Just days before the Indian team was supposed to lock horns with the Aussies in the first Test, Phil Hughes was struck by a freak bouncer by Sean Abbott, which lead to his untimely and shocking demise. The Australian team was rattled beyond words, so much that the first Test was cancelled. There were murmurs that the Australian side would lack the razor edge they once had.

The inner cricketing devotee in us did somersaults when Mitchell Johnson looked rather apologetic and scared by the stuff that he always does — bowling bouncers. Our hunches were in the right direction. This had to be it — this had to be the big Indian win over an Australian team reduced to shreds. 

The first Test was pocketed by the bereaved Aussies in style. Not that the Indians lacked intent. But Lady Luck was grumpy. We’d have to wait. The second Test saw the return of the Indian skipper and a change in reigns for the hosts. It worked for them, it boomeranged for us. There was lack of interest, things didn’t click and the team was playing as individuals, not as a whole unit. The Aussies cruised in, bruised us and left like nothing happened. It was time to reflect.

Did anything change in the gap in between? Yes, it did. For the worse, that is. There were reports of a spat between Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan. And these were more than murmurs, mind you. Shikhar Dhawan injured himself during practice and Virat Kohli was sent in, unannounced, which irked him no end. It seems the tiff was rather ugly.

The third Test was when the pendulum swung and swung towards an absolute low for the Indians. Just as the match ended in a draw, thereby helping the home team clinch the series, there came a update that didn’t just send shockwaves all around the Indian cricketing community, but also raised eyebrows, several of them, honestly. MS Dhoni declared behind closed doors that he is retiring from Test cricket. ‘With immediate effect’, he added. The baton was passed on to Virat Kohli, but I wish it stopped at that. The announcement was dissected and several conspiracy theories emerged. One among them was a strong indication that there was some trouble in the Indian camp. Were Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli catalysts in this volatile reaction? We know not.

However, what we do know is the fact that if this is true, then the World Cup is a worrisome prospect. If there’s unrest between the now Test captain Virat Kohli, who will be playing under MS in the World Cup, to be orchestrated by Ravi Shastri, then BCCI better come up with a fix.

Right now, the Indian team is at crossroads. New captain, new void. Series loss and a difficult match ahead. Sharp questions from the media, harsh comments from the critics. God bless them.

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