Indian cricket-Where is it heading?

 Australia are on the verge of whitewashing India, after demolishing them for an innings and 37 runs. This was a highly anticipated series by the Indians, thought to be their best chance to beat Australia in Australia. Expectations were high from the Indians, but they have hardly risen to the occasion, same for the England tour last summer. Lot was expected from them as the number one test team, but now its hard to believe they actually were at this time of the year!
 Seven consecutive overseas losses for an Indian team containing the likes of high class players such as Sachin, Dravid and Laxman. In fact, of their last five innings, four of them have been by a innings margin! What does this suggest? Surely nothing good for the Indians, they were expected to bounce back from the British defeats in Australia, but instead seemed to be faring even worse now! Their batsmen are not scoring runs, bowlers are not taking wickets, they are not being able to sustain pressure, fielding has been below par and captaincy been poor.
 Over the past, India have been lucky to have players stepping up to the plate in difficult times, players like Sachin and Dravid have previously been very accountable, but now that their age is slowly catching up to them, Indias weaknesses are being exposed and exploited.
 What i am saying is, its time for a change. The BCCI are very good in making money and controlling world cricket, but their team is just going down, and at this rate, God knows what the future holds. Some serious decions need to be made, and quick. Time for the BCCI to get out of denial, realize what needs to be done and do it. Changes must be made.

Should the big 3 retire? That is a very tough call,i believe yes, but not all together. That would leave a big gap in Indian cricket not easy to fill. Laxmans time has come, he should reitre himself and at the place where he was at his peak is fitting for a great like him. Rohit Sharma is a perfect replacement for him, its time he made his debut. Deserves it definitely, and in his current form, i bet he can fill the shoes of VVS.
 Dravid, the wall of Indian cricket, in my opinion still has time left. He had a brilliant 2011, being the most consistent performer for India. He still plays a vital role in this Indian side, has been unlucky this Australian series, just a lean patch, that is when his team needed him most, which is why criticism arises for him. Australians have been smart in bowling to him, they know how hard it is to get the wicket of the wall, so they go for the stumps and succeed. Dravid will know himself when his time has arrived.
 Sachin...God...Tendulkar..as for him, that is a tricky case. He has been Indias leading run scorer this series and has looked in good touch, he also looks like he could play another year or so. Of course, the little master can't retire till he reaches his 100th 100 either, fans won't let him get away with that! It'll be a big day, a sad day for Indian cricket when he decides to retire, but for now he has a role to play in the team. He should play on, and go when he realizes the time is right.
 As for Dhoni, captain cool, a huge case. He is by no means a successful test batsmen and is turning out to be a terrible captain too! His tactics have been just too defensive, he is not providing the inspiration needed by a team to bounce back. He is not leading by the front either, not scoring runs, and i hardly seeing going up to the bowlers in between overs. He must be determined, must lead his troops, make them fight back and lastly, never give up till the end. His field sets are too defensive, his bowlers at times are unable to contain the pressure built by wickets. So either Dhoni clean up his act, prove himself as a captain worth leading this talented side, or hand the reins to someone else.

Umesh Yadav and Virat Kohli
after Indias innings defeat in Perth.

 Basically, team India need to rebuild and bounce back strongly. Introduce new young players, a lot are waiting for a call who deserve one! Such as Rohit Sharma, Ajinkye Rahane and Manoj Tiwary, All have the potential to be successful in test level, and deserve a chance to perform for India.A positive is Virat Kohli finally showing he belongs to the test arena, the big stage, he will definitely be a key player for India in thee future. Something needs to be done about the consistently failing opening partnership of Sehwag and Gambhir too, they should perform, otherwise get the axe for a while. Both are proven test players, but need to get in form if team India must rise again.
 As for the bowling department of India, one positive is the success of Umesh Yadav, the newbie in test cricket who looks like the only dangerman for Australia to be honest. He has bowled with genuine pace and good lines, out of all the bowlers, hes the one whos troubled the Aussies the most. Certainly a bright prospect for team India, but he has not been supported well by the other bowlers. Ishant Sharma has been luckless, but a bit haywire at times too. Zaheer hasn't been bad, but hasn't reached expectations since he's not a 100 % fit. India need to form a stronger pace attack. They have the resources, they just need to be utilized properly. The indian fans are losing heart, seeing their side embarassed around the world. If the BCCI want cricket to remain popular, these changes must be made. For it is not possible for a team to succeed till it goes through rough patches.
 Good luck team India, you need it.