In the wake of India’s unprecedented 3-0 Test series defeat against New Zealand at home, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar’s pointed observation about “lack of match practice” has emerged as a crucial talking point for Indian cricket’s future direction. Indian batters had a horrible show against the Kiwis, enduring collapses in every other innings throughout the three-match series. Although prior to the home season, BCCI arranged a Duleep Trophy game, where almost all the Indian Test players played barring Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Sachin Tendulkar on India’s embarrassing Test series loss
The Master Blaster’s recent social media post, questioning whether the defeat stemmed from “lack of preparation, poor shot selection, or lack of match practice,” appears to be a subtle yet crucial message to Indian cricketers about the importance of first-class cricket, particularly Ranji Trophy participation.
“Losing 3-0 at home is a tough pill to swallow, and it calls for introspection. Was it lack of preparation, was it poor shot selection, or was it lack of match practice? ,” wrote Tendulkar on Twitter.
Incredibly, Kohli and Rohit, who both opted to rest from the Duleep Trophy, endured poor form with the bat. In fact, the duo had their worst-ever Test series, with both failing to score even 100 runs each. Across the six innings, Kohli and Rohit averaged a combined 15.3.
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The series defeat, marking the first time India have been whitewashed at home in a series of three or more matches, exposed glaring weaknesses in the Indian batting lineup against spin bowling. In the decisive Mumbai Test, the Indian batting order crumbled to 121 all out while chasing a modest target of 147, with Ajaz Patel claiming six wickets on a spinning track.
While individual performances from Shubman Gill (90) and Rishabh Pant (60 and 64) showed glimpses of resistance, the overall batting display raised serious concerns about the team’s ability to handle quality spin bowling in challenging conditions. This struggle becomes even more significant considering India’s traditional strength against spin bowling on home soil.
Regardless, Tendulkar was quick to credit Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant for their knows. Obviously, he even waxed lyrical on New Zealand’s “consistent performance”.
“ShubmanGill showed resilience in the first innings, and RishabhPant was brilliant in both innings— his footwork made a challenging surface look like a different one altogether. He was simply superb. Full credit to New Zealand for their consistent performance throughout the series. Winning 3-0 in India is as good a result as it can get.”
Tendulkar’s observation about match practice isn’t merely criticism but comes from his vast experience in Indian cricket. The emphasis on regular first-class cricket, particularly Ranji Trophy participation, has diminished in recent years as players focus more on franchise cricket and international commitments.
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