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BENGALURU : After India's batting frailties were brutally exposed in a 3-0 home series defeat by New Zealand, captain Rohit Sharma said it was important that his players get in the right frame of mind for what promises to be a challenging tour of Australia.
Ajaz Patel said helping New Zealand wrap up a 3-0 series sweep in India on Sunday was even more special than his spectacular outing at the Wankhede Stadium three years ago when the Mumbai-born spinner picked up 10 wickets in one innings.
Former New Zealand cricketer turned broadcaster Simon Doull had made heads turn when he said in 2018 that Shubman Gill will have a longer career playing for India than Prithvi Shaw. Cut to now, and Doull's prediction has come true so far, as Gill top-scored with a composed 90 in India's first innings score of 263 and taking a 28-run lead in the ongoing third Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Shaw and Gill were captain and vice-captain when India won the 2018 U19 World Cup in New Zealand. Later that year, Shaw made a hundred on Test debut against West Indies in Rajkot, while Gill took time to enter the Test cricket arena, but has now firmly established himself across all formats for India.
Team India's catastrophic performance against New Zealand in the 3-match Test series against New Zealand has raised many questions about the players' preparation. India comprehensively defeated Bangladesh in a 2-match Test series before gearing up for the New Zealand assignment. At the same time, there were suggestions of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah's participation in the Duleep Trophy, as part of the preparations for the Bangladesh and New Zealand series. But, none of the four featured in the domestic competition, much to the disappointment of some experts.
India suffered a 25-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the third and final Test of the series on Sunday, incurring an embarrassing 0-3 series sweep. However, it all could've ended a little differently for India had Rishabh Pant managed to stay on the pitch for a few more overs. Pant, the only batter to withstand New Zealand's spin attack on Day 3 of the third Test in Mumbai, was dismissed in a manner that left many experts of the game scratching their heads.
Legendary Indian cricket team batter Sunil Gavaskar believes that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are going through a bad patch of form but added that people should not "read too much into it". Both Rohit and Virat had horrible outings as India slumped to a humiliating 0-3 series loss against New Zealand in Mumbai on Sunday. Chasing 147 on Day 3, Rohit and Virat were dismissed cheaply as the hosts were bundled out for just 121. Gavaskar said that the duo has not enjoyed any luck in the three-match Test series against New Zealand and that has made the situation worse for them.
:New Zealand have suffered a double blow ahead of Friday's test against top-ranked Ireland with starting hooker Codie Taylor and flyhalf Beauden Barrett ruled out of the Dublin clash due to concussion protocols.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has criticised the pitch conditions where the India-New Zealand Test series was played. In the second and third Tests, New Zealand spinners outperformed Indian spinners, as Indian batters struggled to pick up the spin. Harbhajan criticised the pitches in Pune and Mumbai, which had served up rank turners where both sides struggled to score. As India's batting crumbled to 121 all out while chasing 146 on Day 3 of the third Test, Harbhajan said that India had dug their own grave.