Picture : ICC / X
Well cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties . The adage has been proved right yet again. Who would have thought at the beginning of Three- Test match series against New Zealand that the score-line would be 3-0 for the Black caps ?. No one. Given India’s domination at home .
But the kiwis stunned all with their grit, determination and went on to outplay India in all departments of the game . And the defeats at Bengaluru by 8 wickets, 113 runs at Pune and 25 runs at Mumbai say it all. The much talked about Indian batting line-up with big names came a cropper and can you believe it against spin . India Skipper Rohit Sharma admitted his poor run with the bat and some mistakes in his captaincy and overall collective failure not putting runs on the board for the disaster .
Superstar Virat Kohli was shadow of his former self. He would be mighty disappointed with the scores in the series given the high standards he sets for himself. Shubman Gill showed some spark with 90 at Mumbai but was indifferent in the series . Yashasvi Jaiswal too was not consistent at the top as Rohit fell early .
Young Sarfaraz Khan found out there is a difference between domestic, IPL and International cricket . KL Rahul in and out meant his uncertainty in the line- up. Ravindra Jadeja was among the wickets but with the bat he failed . Washington Sundar grabbed Test opportunity with both hands and bowled well. Ravichandran Ashwin barring one or two carrom ball dismissals was not his usual wicket0- taking self. His struggle for wickets hurt India . Rishabh Pant proved why is India’s number one choice behind the wickets with important knocks and sad he scored a valiant 64 as India fell by 25 runs at Mumbai chasing 147 to be bowled out for 121.
For the Kiwis Mitchell Santner bagged 13 at Pune while Mumbai born Ajaz Patel bagged 11 at Mumbai. Glenn Phillips to rolled his arms over to bag wickets too. That the Kiwi spinners dominated India surprised all and will hurt India for long. It was a was splendid effort. And when the conditions were overcast and for seam bowling Matt Henry stood tall at Bengaluru with 5/ 15 and helped bundle India out for embarrassing 46 in the first innings. Mind You there was no Trent Boult either. So the Bowling effort was simply stupendous
The Black caps came out with an all- round show here in the Test series . Tom Latham took over from struggling Tim Southee and led the side well. The absence of their batting mainstay the classy former Skipper Kane Williamson did not hurt them, Young batsman Will Young stepped into the big shoes well. Devon Conway showed his class at the top and his experience while playing for CSK came in handy . Daryll Mitchell played some key innings . Glenn Phillips too showed his aggressive game when given a chance. Overall, the Kiwis clicked as a unit. A attribute that characterises the Black caps over the years . That several Kiwi players play in the IPL gave them the feel of the Indian conditions well and they adapted beautifully . The heat, humidity Spin surface were no longer an unknown territory courtesy IPL .
Picture : ICC/ X
Kiwis had won a Test series in India after 36 years and India first series loss at home after 12 years and having won 18 consecutive series . India Skipper Rohit Sharma at a briefing stirred criticism when he remarked after the Pune loss reportedly said, “We have lost only 2 games. We have won so many matches in India, where batters have played well in bad pitches, why are we not focusing on that? This is the first time that we have collapsed. 12 saal me ek baar to allowed hai yaar. If we were collapsing since 12 years, we would have not won anything. Expectations are high in India that we have to win every thing. We have made that habit. It is not your fault, it is us who have held ourselves to the best standards.”
While Rohit admitted the loss will rankle him , Head coach Gautam Gambhir must have realised that stepping into the big shoes of batting legend Rahul Dravid is not going to be easy cake walk . As Dravid in his won words had told in his message to Gautam after he left the position – Expectations will be high and the scrutiny will be intense. How true he was. Well the government at the centre is gung- ho with it’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan but the BCCI seems to have made the slogan a joke note who is the fast bowling coach of team India Morne Morkel ( South Africa) and batting assistant coach is Ryan Ten Doeschate from Holland.
Yes the 3-0 loss at home by Team India is hugely disappointing and will be debated only to be forgotten after a while . So is the BCCI worried ? Does not seem like . IPL is the favourite punching bag the moment India loses. But the angst is always short-lived. Any news on the cash rich league makes headlines. So , Guess what was trending while India were playing New Zealand in the Tests #IPL2025Retentions?. So whether one likes it or not IPL is here to stay.
Already there are several reports as to which player is retained by which franchise how much crore he is likely to get etc. England Test skipper Ben Stokes according to reports is likely to skip IPL 2025 to concentrate on Tests . How many Indian players would do this ? BCCI admitted that they planned Duleep Trophy before the New Zealand Test series but big names cited lack of motivation and opted not to play . So, BCCI it seems appeared to be a mute spectator in front of superstar player power.
Lastly, There is not much time to recover from the loss to Kiwis as India now faces in the much talked about BGT 2024- 25 trophy against Defending WTC Champions Australia led by Pat Cummins. The first Test at Perth begins On November 22. And for India to make third successive WTC final , it would need a miracle showing in Australia.
The Australia series will be fresh series . What will worry Team India is the form and the confidence going into the series. The batting unit flopped at home will they fire in Oz remains to be seen? . Only time will tell. So a fascinating contest is on the cards. Aussie Skipper Pat Cummins has already started playing mind games in the run- up to the series. So have his team- mates Mitchell Starch and Nathan Lyon . So the battle has truly begun. Watch this space.
