MUMBAI: India’s grueling home Test season finally ended with worrying signs that are immediately linked to the future of Gautam Gambhir’s shaky start to his reign as head coach.

The transitional phase, which is said to have started when Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were slowly phased out of the Test setup, had started showing its effects as young blood continued to infuse into the team.

History of India whitewash series against New Zealand on a Sunday was a stark reminder that the art of playing against spinners was slowly wearing thin.

Even though the bowlers suffered misfortunes but still managed to thrive at times throughout the home season, the Indian batting department was left exposed by some of the more inexperienced overseas spinners.

As the path to the World Test Championship final has become a walk in the rain instead of sunshine and flowers, one major question remains open and waiting to be answered.

The declining form of stalwarts Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma weeks before the long Test series against Australia has been a cause for concern for the modern Test giants. Virat and Rohit’s home Test season was a story filled with moments of brilliance but overshadowed by the weight of a weak run of results.

Over the last month and a half, India hosted Bangladesh and New Zealand, who were constantly touted as preparatory series for Australia. The hosts blanked Bangladesh to face New Zealand.

In these five Tests, Rohit could muster only 133 runs at an average of just 13:30, with a half-century in 10 innings. His highest score is 52. The Indian skipper has recorded a series of worrying scores this season at home: 6, 5, 23, 8, 2, 52, 0, 8, 18 and 11.

Overall, in this year’s Tests, Rohit scored 588 runs in 11 Tests and 21 innings at a below average of 29.40, with two centuries, two fifties and a top score of 131. His average batting in Tests reached his lowest in a calendar year since he started opening in the format in 2019.

In the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, Rohit has collected 833 runs in 14 Tests at an average of 33.32, with three centuries and four fifties in 26 innings.

On the other hand, Virat’s figures do not encourage the spectators’ gaze. His spin problems got worse over time.

In five Tests, Kohli could only make 192 runs in 10 innings, averaging 21.33 with just one fifty and a best score of 70. His scores during this home season are as follows: 6, 17, 47, 29*, 0, 70, 1, 17, 4 and 1.

In 2024, Virat has scored only 250 runs in 12 Test innings across six matches at an average of 22.72, with just one half-century and a best score of 70. In the ongoing cycle of WTC 2023- 25, Virat scored 561 runs. in nine Tests and 16 innings at an average of 37.40, with one century and three fifties, with 121 as his highest score.

With Rohit participating in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series remaining uncertainIndia’s task of securing victory in Perth could become a trickier affair.