When the Indian home season came out that involved a combined five Tests, it looked like Rohit Sharma and company would have an ideal preparation for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, these “preparatory” Tests have tarnished the legacy of the home dominance of India. While Bangladesh gave a decent fight, New Zealand have completely outclassed India, and how! Bengaluru offered overcast conditions, and Indian batters got bundled for a mere 46. And the Gautam Gambhir-coached side prepared for a turning track in Pune, and even that has come back to haunt them.
Indian batters lacked technique on a track that dearly needed application, something that the Kiwi batters, particularly Tom Lathan and Devon Conway, showed. After a blip in Bengaluru, fans hoped for a ruthless performance from Team India, but it wasn’t to be. In fact, New Zealand outperformed the hosts in all three departments in all nine sessions across all three days. As a result, India lost the Pune Test by a huge 113 runs.
Master Mitchell Santner comes up with MAGIC!
If there’s one man who has been New Zealand’s trump card throughout this match, it’s Mitchell Santner. The left-arm spinner has been nothing short of phenomenal, making India’s traditionally excellent players of spin look like novices on their own turf. On a pitch that was beginning to resemble a dust bowl, he masterfully varied his pace and trajectory, getting one to grip here, slide on there, leaving the Indian batters in a constant state of uncertainty.
His accuracy was metronomic, and his ability to extract sharp turn left Indian batters guessing all the time. While Ajaz Patel, who took a ten-wicket haul the last time he travelled India, looked ordinary, Santner single-handedly mauled India over. After his 7/53 in the first innigns, the Kiwi superstar managed 6 more scalps in the fourth innings.
Another Indian collapse despite Jaiswal’s early attack
After India bundled Kiwi’s last five batters within an hour in the morning, the hosts had a daunting task of chasing 359 runs. India’s pursuit began with characteristic aggression as Yashasvi Jaiswal announced his intentions with a six off the very second ball he faced. The opening partnership between Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma set an attacking tone, forcing New Zealand to switch to spin after just three overs. However, Rohit’s dismissal to a bouncing delivery, which he inside-edged onto his pads for a catch at short leg, triggered a collapse. While Shubman Gill showed initial promise, he fell to a sharply turning delivery that induced a leading edge to slip.
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The middle order’s defensive approach proved counterproductive as Virat Kohli fell victim to an arm ball, while Rishabh Pant’s suicidal run-out for a duck further dented India’s hopes. Washington Sundar’s resistance was ended by a sharp catch at short leg by Will Young, while Sarfaraz Khan looked clueless against the turning ball that cleaned him up. As the day progressed, New Zealand’s bowlers successfully curbed the scoring rate and finished off the formalities post-Tea.
Gautam Gambhir’s coaching legacy under early scrutiny
The series loss marks a questionable start to Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India’s head coach after taking over from Rahul Dravid post the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. Despite implementing a more aggressive approach, Gambhir’s early days have been marred by unprecedented setbacks. Beyond this imminent Test series defeat at home, his tenure has already witnessed India’s first ODI series loss to Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka in 27 years. These results have come as huge surprises under the new management, particularly given India’s previously impregnable home record in Test cricket.
The morning had started promisingly for India, with Ravindra Jadeja claiming three quick wickets to wrap up New Zealand’s second innings within the first hour. However, the target of 359 proved too steep for an Indian batting lineup that succumbed to both the pressure of the chase and New Zealand’s masterful spin bowling. At the end of the day, New Zealand have finally conquered the frontier of India.
