Why 2025 Feels Like 2012

In many ways, 2025 feels eerily similar to 2012.

- VISHAL MENON

Thirteen years ago, the Indian cricket team's calamitous tour of Australia ended the careers of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. The stalwarts, with vastly contrasting batting styles, bowed out of international cricket after a humbling series Down Under.

The halo around India's golden generation had begun to fade. The team was at a crossroads. Their retirements created a void that seemed difficult to fill. Indian cricket was forced to rebuild, recalibrate, and reassess.

Fast forward to 2025, and a similar sense of transition hangs over the Indian cricket team. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the last two vestiges from the previous era, have retired from the game's longest format after an arduous Test series in Australia.

Curiously, Australian tours appear to have a decisive role in concluding the careers of Indian batting greats.

Much like in 2012, this team under coach Gautam Gambhir is searching for a new identity, fresh leadership, and a bevy of young stars to carry forward their rich legacy.

Back then, it was Kohli who stepped up and heralded a tectonic shift in Indian cricket. Today, the question looms large: Who will seize that mantle?