For the first time in twenty-four years, New Zealand gave India a Test whitewash at home. The hosts suffered a crushing 3-0 series loss as a result of their terrible batting performance throughout the series. Following their respective six-inning scores of 91 and 93 runs, the senior batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been questioned about their prospects in the longest format.
The Indian captain said after the match at Wankhede Stadium that he had a really difficult time batting and was also a very unimpressive skipper. In the first Test match in Bengaluru, his choice to bat first backfired, as the side was all-out for just 46 runs in the first innings. Speaking about it, Rohit stated that the series loss and his own performance would trouble him in the days ahead. He also added that the main reason for the series loss was that, collectively, they were unable to compete with New Zealand.
“I have specific goals and concepts in mind when I bat, but I’m disappointed that they didn’t work out in this series. Gill, Jaiswal, and Pant demonstrated how to bat on these surfaces. When we play on a field like that, you have to be a little ahead of the game and proactive. We have played on fields like that for the past three to four years, so we know how to play,” Rohit stated during the post-match presentation.
However, some things in this series didn’t come off, and that will be painful. From a personal perspective, I will be annoyed that I wasn’t at my best as a leader and batsman. However, we didn’t play well as a team, which is why we lost,” he continued.
To secure their spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, India will now need to defeat Australia in four Test matches and draw one more.
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However, given the current form of the Indian hitters, the five-match series against the Pat Cummins-led team would not be an easy feat.