Yashasvi Jaiswal (left), Shubman Gill (centre) and Rishabh Pant during a practice session, ahead of their third Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: The Indian team is not used to losing Test matches at home. New Zealand forced them to swallow their pride in Bengaluru by handing them their 57th loss.
The Indian team is not used to losing Test series at home. New Zealand forced them to swallow their pride in Pune by handing them their 18th loss.
The Indian team is not used to getting swept at home. New Zealand could force them to swallow their pride in Mumbai by handing them their second such loss.
When New Zealand arrived on Indian shores earlier this month, no one believed they could tick even the first box. Now, on the back of two Test victories showcasing impressive adaptability and gumption, they are on the cusp of a feat only one other team has managed to do.
The only time India ever lost every match of a series (more than one Test) at home was in 1999-2000 when South Africa won both matches.
So, between November 1 and 5, 2024, assuming the Test goes to the fifth day (it’s highly unlikely it will go to even the fourth day given how things have panned out so far), New Zealand have the chance to join that list.
They won’t be specifically looking to administer such ignominy, but should they stick to playing how they have thus far, and should India continue to bungle session after session, a 3-0 result will be the natural outcome.
Of course, it will come down to the surface, conditions, player availability and so on, but this game will entirely depend on who feels what in their minds.
While New Zealand have momentum and confidence, India find themselves in a corner of a room they’ve seldom had to visit.
India will put up a fight, they have to, but the real question is if they have the skills to execute the said fight, if they can give this revision of their Test identity a body devoid of shame, if they can stand and withstand this avalanche of negativity hovering over them.
Rohit Sharma and Co are not used to being in these situations at home. Typically, teams which travel to India lose the game before they kick off their travel. Normally, they write it off as an ‘experience’, a ‘lesson’, but New Zealand are handing out an education to this Indian side, a masterclass in how Test matches are won.
Like India, they too have adopted an attacking brand of cricket. The only difference is that they have been good at it by being prudent about it.
This Indian side, meanwhile, has confused aggressive intent with white-ball aggression and is cutting a sorry figure.
Their batters have been dismal throughout the series, and their bowlers look jaded, going through the motions without much conviction. This, surely, is not part of coach Gautam Gambhir’s plan, but this was always going to be a concern for a side in transition.
India have made a conscious decision to play young, but given the number of seniors in the side, it must be hard to get their credo tuned to the right note. That, by the looks of it, is the crux of the problem, and it’s not something a side can solve in days.
Basically, India will be desperate for and depend on one or two stand-out performances to make a fist of this Test because they, as a team, don’t look like they have it in them to come together and take on a team which relies solely on standing together.