India’s storied legacy in Tests at home unravelled, layer by layer, over the course of a three-match series against New Zealand. A near-spotless record was systematically dismantled over three defeats, each inflicting a gaping wound that exposed a deeper malaise within the Indian Test setup and left a scar that would require an extensive post-mortem.
A misreading of the conditions in Bengaluru led to India conceding a Test at home to the Kiwis for the first time in 36 years, and meek surrenders on rank-turners in Pune and Mumbai saw Rohit Sharma’s men snap an 18-series-long unbeaten streak and concede a clean sweep in a three-match series at home for the first time, respectively.
If that wasn’t enough, the 0-3 humiliation also left India gasping for air in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings. Heading into the series, India was sitting high and mighty atop the WTC points table. But the chastening series defeat nullified most of its advantage, forcing India into a must-win territory in the upcoming five-match series in Australia in its bid to reach a third consecutive WTC final.
The Kiwi debacle, though, will perhaps inspire a refreshing context for the challenge ahead. For decades, Indian batters would head into a Test series in Australia under a cloud of apprehension, drowning in the potential uneasiness of handling the pacy, bouncy pitches Down Under. But, for a change, they will perhaps look at the Border-Gavaskar series as a pleasant departure from the confines of home, which has turned from a fortress of steel to a coffin of suffocation.
Of late, Indian batters have sought to break free from their well-documented struggles against spin bowling with an attacking approach in the face of a dwindling trust in their ability and skill to defend against the tweakers.
This tendency was on display against the Kiwis, with the Indians scoring at almost four runs an over (3.97) throughout the series and taking it a notch higher by going at 4.16 per over against the spinners. In contrast, New Zealand struck at a significantly more sedate 3.66 runs an over against the spinners.
India’s aggression didn’t yield dividends, however, as Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel picked up 28 wickets between them, and four Kiwi spinners accounted for 37 Indian scalps to precipitate the host’s surrender.
India skipper Rohit, in admitting his own shortcomings in the series, also summed up the team’s travails. “I need to spend more time to defend balls, which I haven’t done in this series, and I accept that I haven’t batted well in this series.”
Throughout the series, it seemed that most Indian batters were in a tearing hurry to score runs, perhaps trying hard to follow the ‘Bazball’ model. And that plan clearly did not work in the home team’s favour.
Rohit faced a total of 133 balls across six innings, tallying a mere 91 runs, while middle-order mainstay Virat Kohli eked out 93 runs in six innings, facing 173 deliveries.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (308 balls) was the only Indian batter who faced in excess of 300 balls, while Rishabh Pant (261 runs) was the lone Indian to tally more than 200 runs in the series.
The left-handed duo succeeded, to some extent, in taking the attack to the opposition’s spinners, with Pant almost pulling off a counter-attacking rescue act in Mumbai.
Though Shubman Gill, after missing the series opener, shone in patches and struck a resilient 90 in the third Test to help India draw parity in the first innings, his tentative front-foot defence against spin was an enduring trope that haunted India’s top and middle-order batters.
Pitch-ing it wrong
As New Zealand’s spinners dominated on rank turners in Pune and Mumbai, questions have emerged about whether India needs to reconsider its pitch strategy at home. The answer could well be “yes.”
Departing from its previous approach of preparing sporting surfaces — as seen during the series against England — the current team management, under head coach Gautam Gambhir, reverted to rank turners, banking on spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to deliver. However, the strategy backfired in both matches as India’s spinners fell short of expectations, losing the advantage on home turf. Assistant coach Abhishek Nayar defended the approach, noting that the team management does not dictate pitch preparation. Nonetheless, the plan visibly backfired, with Ashwin and Jadeja performing below par in Pune, a pivotal match in the series.
This New Zealand series marked Ravichandran Ashwin’s second-poorest Test outing at home, with a bowling average of 41.22 runs per wicket. | Photo Credit: K BHAGYA PRAKSH
Interestingly, this New Zealand series marked Ashwin’s second-poorest Test outing at home, with a bowling average of 41.22 runs per wicket. His only worse home series was against England in 2012-13, when he averaged 52.64 runs per wicket — India’s last home Test series loss.
India appeared ensnared by its own spin trap, inviting criticism from former players, including Harbhajan Singh. Taking to social media, Harbhajan remarked, “Earlier generations’ batsmen never played on these kinds of tracks. These tracks are prepared for 2-3 day Test matches. You don’t need Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan], [Shane] Warne, or Saqi [Saqlain Mushtaq] on these pitches to get teams out. Anyone can get anyone out.”
Following criticism a few years ago, the team management shifted its reliance to pacers and began using sporting wickets that extended Tests into the fourth day. But under Gambhir, the strategy leaned toward spin and rank turners, and the results spun out of India’s control.
Poor field placements
Ashwin and Jadeja’s struggle with the ball was exacerbated by captain Rohit’s overly defensive field placements. Both spinners often bowled with a long-on or long-off, giving New Zealand’s batters easy opportunities to rotate the strike and relieve pressure. India’s bowlers allowed a single or double on 23.79% of deliveries, meaning New Zealand’s batters rarely had to seek boundaries, allowing them to build runs steadily.
India also lacked close-in fielders, with Sarfaraz Khan as the sole regular presence at short leg.
Questionable selection calls
Opting for rank turners wasn’t the only mistake; India also made questionable selection calls, often playing a bowler short.
In the first Test, played on a Bengaluru surface that clearly called for a third pacer, India instead picked Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm wrist-spinner ended up as the most expensive of India’s bowlers, while New Zealand’s pacers thrived from the start.
In Pune, where New Zealand’s spinners led by Mitchell Santner wreaked havoc, India fielded two pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep. Akash bowled only six overs in the first innings and remained unused in the second. A similar situation played out in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, where India replaced the rested Bumrah with Mohammed Siraj. Like Akash in Pune, Siraj spent most of the game as a bystander as Rohit chose not to utilise him in the second innings.
Silver linings
Despite the disappointing series, a few positives stood out, notably Washington Sundar’s emergence. Returning to the Test side after three years, the off-spinner shone in Pune, taking seven wickets in the first innings and four in the second. Washington also contributed with the bat, providing India a hopeful glimpse of the future as it contemplates a post-Ashwin and Jadeja era. The 25-year-old had the highest batting average (44.5) among Indian players and the best bowling average (14.12) in the series.
Returning to the Test side after three years, off-spinner Washington Sundar shone in Pune, taking seven wickets in the first innings and four in the second. | Photo Credit: PTI
Pant’s ongoing excellence and calmness under pressure also offered a bright spot in an otherwise challenging series.
While it’s important to dissect India’s shortcomings, New Zealand’s achievement deserves praise. The Kiwis’ success was even more remarkable given their recent struggles against Sri Lanka and their comparatively modest spin attack.
Looking ahead
With only two home Tests scheduled in the next year — against the West Indies in October — it wouldn’t be surprising if the current core of India’s Test side, including Kohli, Rohit, Jadeja, and Ashwin, has played its last home game together in the longest format.
This transition has been on the horizon for some time, but New Zealand’s dominance has highlighted the challenges India faces in ensuring a smooth change of guard and maintaining its formidable home record.
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