India vs. New Zealand: The decline of India's cricket stalwarts
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Muddled captaincy, wrong decisions, faulty selection, decline of stalwarts—it was a perfect storm that flattened India at home after a 12-year winning run. India’s Test series loss to New Zealand, going 2-0 down in Pune on 26 October, came after 18 consecutive home series wins.
The last time they lost a Test series in India was in 2012 against England. That it came against New Zealand, a nation that had never won a Test series in India earlier, made it a historic defeat. That the Kiwis got drubbed 2-0 in a Test series in Sri Lanka just a month earlier accentuated the debacle. What went wrong for India? It all began with a touch of hubris: skipper Rohit Sharma’s decision to bat first after winning the toss under dark, low-hanging clouds in rainy Bengaluru on 16 October.
It reeked of over-confidence and underestimation of the Kiwi pace attack. India lacked the flexibility to change their usual playbook, despite New Zealand’s eagerness to make first use of the conditions in Bengaluru. Incessant rain had kept the ground under covers and even washed out the first day’s play. Yet, India picked three spinners for the match and chose to bat first, denying their world-beating fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, the opportunity to bowl in perfect conditions for seam bowling.
Despite the much-touted sub-air drainage system in Bengaluru, that can magically suck up the rain, the humid atmosphere and lack of exposure to the sun made it a sticky wicket. The tall Kiwi pacers were super accurate and made the ball bounce and deviate off the surface. Sharma himself perished in his desperate attempt to come down the wicket and hit Tim Southee off his length.
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