India’s Test series defeat to New Zealand — at home, on turning tracks, with some extraordinary batting collapses thrown in — has all the makings of one such inflection point. The result marks the end of a 12-year winning streak in familiar conditions that spanned 18 series on the trot.

The problem, despite what captain Rohit Sharma suggested in post-match press briefings, is that the way the Indian team capitulated did not have the signs of a “one-off” event — in any case, it would have to be “two-off” or even “three-off” given the totals of 46, 156 and 245 — but of a deeper issue.

At the face of it, Sharma and Virat Kohli, India’s ageing superstars, cannot be relied upon to be as consistent in the longer format as they once were. The problem is not so much of ability as it is of slowing reflexes and shortening patience. Kohli often makes the kind of technical mistakes early in his innings that would’ve been impossible at his peak — suggesting not lack of form but permanent decline. And Sharma, who gets out to loose shots of the nature that hold him in good stead in ODI and T20 cricket, is unable to put in the hours it takes to build Test innings. It’s time that Team India starts looking at life beyond them.

Even the younger players — Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan — despite strong starts in Test cricket, are still learning that it takes more than aggressive batting to win or even draw Test matches. One of the issues they face is excessive white-ball cricket but limited red-ball experiences. Therefore, the challenges of building long innings — changing nature of pitches, longer spells by bowlers, morning and evening conditions, reverse swing, and exaggerated spin on a fourth- or fifth-day wicket — are still relatively new to them.

Gautam Gambhir, just like former coach Rahul Dravid, knows a thing or two about Test success. He now needs to face hard facts — acknowledge that the team needs an overhaul, and then trust the time-tested methods of patience and following the process that build cricketing dynasties. Indian Test cricket is at the end of an era. Now, it needs to ensure it sparks the start of a new one.