IND vs NZ: Forget about India’s test series win in Australia and put aside their dominance in white-ball cricket under legendary captain MS Dhoni. This historic defeat in the Test series against New Zealand will echo through the ages. It will be talked about for years, written about repeatedly in social and print media, much like some of India’s finest achievements in all sports. This 0-3 whitewash at home, against a New Zealand team missing their star player Kane Williamson, leaves an indelible mark on India’s cricket history.
India’s strength became the weakness
Historically, India’s biggest strength has been its batting lineup. Even on turning pitches at home, Indian batsmen consistently batted with authority, showing dominance. Remember the 2001 Test series against Australia? That invincible Australian side had arguably the best leg-spinner ever to grace the game—Shane Warne. Despite that, Indian batsmen, fighting against the odds and on the brink of defeat, produced an extraordinary batting display in Kolkata and won the match by 171 runs, because VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid played spin as India were supposed to play spin.
That Kolkata pitch was an absolute rank turner. It was the pitch where Harbhajan Singh took 13 wickets across two innings, while Warne managed only three. This was a testament to India’s strength against spin bowling. Now, for some reason, India is struggling to play against spinners—even at home. It’s baffling to see India’s scorecard in the three-match Test series against New Zealand.
India’s highest score in this series was 462 runs, which came on a seam-friendly pitch in Bengaluru. The last two Tests, however, reveal troubling signs for India. The pitches in Pune and Mumbai favored spin from day one, yet India struggled against New Zealand’s spin attack. What’s even more surprising is that in both matches, a single New Zealand spinner dismantled India’s lineup: Mitchell Santner took 7/53 and 6/104 in Pune, while Ajaz Patel claimed 5/103 and 6/57 in Mumbai. In comparison, India fielded three specialist spinners—Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Ravichandran Ashwin—yet couldn’t match the effectiveness of New Zealand’s solitary spinner.
What next for Team India?
India will next host South Africa in a T20I series starting Friday, November, before the highly anticipated five-match Test series against Australia down under. However, this T20I series won’t impact India’s preparations for the Australia Tests, as the T20I and Test teams are entirely different in composition. Stakes for the Australia series were already high, but India’s 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand has elevated them to a point where India simply can’t afford a loss. India has slipped to second on the ICC World Test Championship table, and Rohit Sharma’s team’s point percentage has fallen below 60 for the first time in this Test cycle.
