Following his team’s historic whitewash series loss to New Zealand, Indian captain Rohit Sharma admitted that not performing at his best as both a captain and a batter will “rankle” him. New Zealand’s victory by 25 runs marked the first time a visiting side has whitewashed India in a series of three or more matches on Indian soil.
Admission of Underperformance
In the post-match presentation, Rohit expressed that the loss is “indigestible” and acknowledged that the Kiwis outperformed India, particularly in batting. “We made a lot of mistakes and we will have to accept it,” he stated. He noted that India failed to post sufficient runs in their first innings in Bengaluru and Pune, putting them on the back foot. “Here, we got a 30-run lead and thought we were ahead; the target was achievable, but we had to do better. You want runs on the board as well, and that was something that was in my mind,” he added.
Personal Struggles and Praise for Youngsters
Reflecting on his own batting struggles throughout the series, Rohit admitted, “When it does not come off, it does not look great, and it feels disappointing.” Despite his difficulties, he praised young players Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant for demonstrating how to bat effectively on challenging, spin-friendly pitches. “You have got to be ahead and be proactive. We have been playing on such pitches for the last 3-4 years; we know how to play well. But this series, it did not come off, and that is going to hurt,” he said. He concluded, “I was not at my best with both bat and as a captain; that is something that will rankle me. But we did not perform well collectively, and that is the reason for these losses.”
India’s Struggles in Chasing
Chasing a target of 147 runs, India found themselves in a dire position at 29 for 5. A resilient half-century from Rishabh Pant (64 off 57 balls, including nine fours and a six) kept India in contention, but after his dismissal, the team faltered and was bowled out for 121 runs. Ajaz Patel was the standout bowler for New Zealand, claiming six wickets for 57 runs, while Glenn Phillips took three crucial wickets.
New Zealand’s Performance
Earlier, New Zealand was bowled out for 174 runs, with Ravindra Jadeja taking five wickets (5/55) and Ravichandran Ashwin contributing three (3/62). Will Young’s half-century (51 off 100 balls) was a highlight of New Zealand’s innings. The Kiwis had built a 146-run lead over India, who scored 263 in their first innings in response to New Zealand’s total of 235.
In their first innings, India had taken a 28-run lead. At one point, they were struggling at 84 for 4, but a crucial 96-run partnership between Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant (60 off 59 balls, with eight fours and two sixes) helped stabilize the innings. Gill’s impressive knock of 90 runs off 146 balls included seven fours and a six, while Washington Sundar chipped in with a valuable 38 not out off 36 balls, pushing India to a total of 263.
Key Bowling Performances
In New Zealand’s first innings, they opted to bat after winning the toss. Despite the dominance of spinners Jadeja (5/65) and Sundar (4/81), half-centuries from Will Young (71 off 138 balls) and Daryl Mitchell (82 off 129 balls) propelled New Zealand to 235 runs, aided by an 87-run partnership between Young and Mitchell.
Brief Match Summary
India: 263 and 121 (Rishabh Pant 64, Washington Sundar 12; Ajaz Patel 6/57)
New Zealand: 235 and 174 (Will Young 51, Glenn Phillips 26; Ravindra Jadeja 5/55)
In conclusion, India faced significant challenges throughout the series, leading to a disappointing outcome that Rohit Sharma and his team will strive to learn from in the future.