IND vs NZ 2nd Test: As often happens after a disappointing result in sports, the inquest is well and truly underway to find why India lost the second Test match against New Zealand in Pune. In fact, with just a glance, one can identify several reasons for India’s abysmal performance in this series. The decision to bat first in the first Test was certainly a match-changing event, but conditions were more favorable for the Indian team in Pune. Despite this, Rohit Sharma and his team failed to deliver, resulting in their first home series defeat to New Zealand.
As far as the defeat in Pune is concerned, here are the reasons we believe led to India losing the match.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma’s unwanted record
Reason One: Ravindra Jadeja’s No Show in the first innings
The pitch at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium is a turner, offering little to no assistance for fast bowlers. This was evident during the opening spell of Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep, as the duo posed hardly any trouble for the New Zealand batters in the first session of Day 1, indicating that the pitch favored spin bowlers.
Unsurprisingly, it was Ravichandran Ashwin who provided India with its first breakthrough, taking the next two wickets as well, but by then New Zealand had reached 138/3.
Washington Sundar, who replaced Kuldeep Yadav in the team, broke a 59-run partnership between Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell. The wicket of Rachin Ravindra opened the floodgates, as the visitors lost seven wickets for just 62 runs. Interestingly, all seven wickets were taken by Washington Sundar.
The biggest disappointment was Ravindra Jadeja. The veteran, who has played a key role in India’s dominance at home over the last decade, failed to make any impact on a pitch that favored spinners. His figures after the first innings were 18-0-53-0.
Jadeja’s first wicket of the match came in New Zealand’s second innings when he clean bowled wicket-keeper Tom Blundell. But by then, the damage was already done, as New Zealand had amassed 231 runs, giving them a lead of 334 runs. India’s veteran all-rounder then took two more wickets, but in the grand scheme of things, this didn’t have any impact.
Reason Two: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Yes, it’s hard to digest, but for the first time in their careers, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma—two of India’s biggest names in cricket at the moment—are looking vulnerable. Their positions in the team are being questioned, and that’s a significant statement in itself. Two or three years ago, this would have been unfathomable, but based on what we are seeing from Kohli and Rohit in terms of their contributions as batters, it can be true. The duo has massively underperformed in this series when the team needed runs from them.
Rohit Sharma managed to score 0 and 8 across two innings, while Kohli made 1 and 17. This is unacceptable from India’s two biggest batting icons.
Reason Three: Denying Bumrah New Ball in 2nd Innings
On a pitch that supported spinners, the best chance for the fast bowlers to impact the game was with the new ball. Rohit Sharma decided to go with the spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar, in New Zealand’s second innings, opting against giving Jasprit Bumrah the new ball. The visitors hardly faced any trouble handling the new ball and scored at a brisk rate, at times exceeding four runs per over. The Kiwis amassed more than 75 runs in 18 overs, losing only one wicket in the process.
In a match where India needed a miraculous bowling effort after scoring only 156 in their first innings, Bumrah might have provided the perfect start. Even commentators Murali Kartik and Simon Doull highlighted that giving Bumrah the new ball and using a spinner from the other end might have been a better option for India.
