India’s three-day Test crisis at home: Stats reveal sudden dip as batters struggle on spin tracks | Cricket News

India’s aura of invincibility at home is beginning to show worrying cracks. Since 2020, the team has played 25 home tests and still boasts a strong overall record: 16 wins, seven losses and two draws, a respectable 64% win rate. But the isolated numbers hide the alarming trend that has gripped Indian cricket: rapid collapses on spin-friendly surfaces and a staggering rise in three-day defeats, a scenario once associated only with visiting teams.Go beyond borders with our YouTube channel. REGISTER NOW!The rot was exposed in last year’s 0-3 debacle against New Zealand – India’s first clean sweep at home in a Test series of three matches or more and their first home whitewash since South Africa’s 2-0 triumph in 2000. While a 2-0 draw against the West Indies earlier this year briefly gave hope of a recovery, the crushing defeat against South Africa at Eden Gardens sent India into a spiral.Despite seven wins in eight home series since 2020, the defeats are revealing. Alarmingly, four of India’s seven home defeats during this period have come in three days, underscoring the increasing vulnerability of their batters to high-quality spin from rank returners – conditions they once dominated.

Overall record for home testing in India since 2020

India’s winning percentage remains high, but the recent decline is undeniable. Before the New Zealand series, this winning percentage was significantly higher.Three-day debacles at home (2020-2025)India’s four three-day defeats at home this decade follow a similar pattern: batters collapsing against opposition spinners who have exploited India’s prepared surfaces for their own advantage.

Indore, 2023 – The warning shotIndia were stunned for 109 in the first innings as Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon ran riot. Lyon’s eight in the second innings sealed a nine-wicket victory for Australia in three days.Pune & Mumbai, 2024 – New Zealand humiliationA year later, Mitchell Santner delivered match figures of 13 wickets in Pune, handing India a 113-run defeat. A week later, Ajaz Patel (11 wickets) dismantled India again in Mumbai, helping New Zealand win the series 3–0 – their first sweep in India.Kolkata, 2025 – South Africa ends droughtAt Eden Gardens, India looked in control after bowling out South Africa for 159 runs. But their batters only managed a 30-point lead. Chasing 124, India retreated for 93 as Simon Harmer (8 wickets) came through the lineout. The defeat gave South Africa their first Test victory in India in 15 years.India wins in three days at home (2020-2025)India not only lost quickly, but they also won quickly. Half of their home wins (8 out of 16) came in three days, with one even finishing in two days.

A striking contrast

This reversal – the same conditions that help adversaries as much as India – marks a shift in the balance of power on Indian grounds.

Why India is in trouble

India’s traditional strength – fighting manipulation – has been greatly eroded. Where previous generations thrived on spinners, the current line-up has repeatedly succumbed to disciplined and patient spin bowling.The main problem is not the pitch preparation, which has historically benefited India, but the inability of the batters to build partnerships and make runs under pressure. Even the home field put up game-winning numbers, but poor at-bats negated those efforts.

Looking ahead: Guwahati offers a different challenge

After Kolkata’s collapse, a turnaround in rank is unlikely to happen in the next Test in Guwahati, which will host its first-ever Test on November 22.India’s limited record there is mixed:

In the absence of historical Test data and a venue known for its batting-friendly white-ball conditions, Guwahati could offer relief to India’s struggling batting unit.But the next big question will be whether the surface helps them reset – or whether it exposes deeper flaws.