2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 2nd Test vs New Zealand ft. Rohit Sharma's captaincy
Team India went down to New Zealand by 113 runs in the second Test at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Saturday, October 26. With the defeat, Rohit Sharma and company suffered their first home Test series loss since the 2012-13 season.
It was a hugely disappointing performance from India, who were thoroughly outplayed by New Zealand in both departments. Mitchell Santner ran riot in both innings, picking up more than three wickets in an innings for the first time in his Test career and finishing with 13 scalps to his name in the match.
It's now back to the drawing board for the home side, who have an uphill task ahead of them if they are to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship. On that note, here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by India in the second Test against New Zealand.
#3 Mistake - Rohit Sharma's fields were way off the mark tactically
It would be fair to say that India lost the Test, or at least a good part of it, on the first morning. After Tom Latham won the toss and elected to bat first, Rohit Sharma led the Kiwi batters off the hook with some overly defensive fields.
Rohit often had four or five boundary riders in the first session of play, which allowed Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra to milk singles easily. Will Young was another beneficiary as New Zealand got off to an excellent start despite the track offering a considerable amount of turn and bounce.
Even in the second innings, Rohit's fields were far from ideal as India didn't cut off enough runs within the circle. Commentators and experts have rightfully come out and criticized the Indian skipper for his captaincy.
#2 Masterstroke - India played Washington Sundar in Pune
Washington Sundar was added to the Indian squad ahead of the second Test against New Zealand. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate claimed that he had been rewarded for his performances in the Ranji Trophy, where he recently scored a century while batting at No. 3 for Tamil Nadu against Delhi.
In Pune, however, it was in the bowling department where Sundar stood out. The off-spinner picked up 11 wickets in the match, and India needs to be credited for an inspired selection that few anticipated ahead of the contest.
Sundar's style of bowling, characterized by high amounts of overspin and dip, was perfect for the conditions at the MCA Stadium. He also hit the right lengths throughout his spell and proved to be India's most threatening spinner across the two innings.
Gautam Gambhir and the team management need to be appreciated for their insistence on playing Sundar, which paid rich dividends.
#1 Mistake - India's batters just couldn't adjust to the conditions
With the spinners getting a ton of purchase off the wicket, conditions certainly weren't easy to bat. However, India's batters did themselves no favors by adopting high-risk, low-reward strategies throughout the two innings.
Most of the Indian batters don't sweep, which played into New Zealand's hands. The spinners didn't need to worry about length anymore and could afford to vary their pace without any concerns about the opposition playing cross-batted shots.
Moreover, the likes of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli hung back to balls that they should have been forward for, allowing Mitchell Santner to trap them on the crease. Even Sarfaraz Khan, who has been in good form lately, was outfoxed rather easily by the pairing of Latham and Santner.
India just didn't seem like they could get themselves accustomed to the surface.