2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 3rd Test vs New Zealand ft. Rohit Sharma's bowling changes and batting approach
Team India were humbled by New Zealand in the third and final Test of the series as the visitors ran out winners by 25 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, November 3. India were whitewashed on their home turf for the first time in their Test history.
Rohit Sharma and Co. were off the mark tactically throughout the series, and the skipper must shoulder most of the blame for that. India made a series of dubious calls, even in the Mumbai Test, where they had a few chances to prevent the blanking.
It's now back to the drawing board for the hosts, whose hopes of qualifying for the final of the World Test Championship have taken a severe hit. On that note, here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by India in the third Test against New Zealand.
#3 Mistake - Rohit Sharma's bowling changes often defied logic
Rohit Sharma's captaincy has come under immense scrutiny over the course of the New Zealand Tests, and rightfully so. His bowling changes often defied logic in Mumbai and allowed the visitors off the hook.
In the first innings, Ravindra Jadeja was the fifth bowler to be introduced. The left-arm spinner went on to pick up five wickets, following which Ajaz Patel chipped in with five of his own from the same end.
Strangely, despite insistence from senior pro Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit refused to quickly bring on Jadeja from that end. By the time he eventually made the obvious call, the Kiwis had already brought themselves back into the game. Even Washington Sundar, who was the pick of the bowlers in Pune, was underutilized.
Rohit's batting approach, characterized by a refusal to stick through the tough passages of play, was a disappointing sight as well. With India needing him to counter spin in the chase, the opener was far too rash against the new ball and lost his wicket early.
#2 Masterstroke - Rishabh Pant maximized the roller effect on Day 2
India put themselves in a tricky position at the end of Day 1, losing a flurry of wickets thanks to some poor decision-making. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and Virat Kohli all fell in quick succession to give New Zealand the edge in the first innings.
On the morning of Day 2, Rishabh Pant maximized the effect of the overnight light roller to play his shots in the first few overs, before the wicket started to deteriorate. The southpaw attacked Ajaz from the very start, throwing him off his lengths and eventually ensuring that India secured the first-innings lead.
Pant picked the right moments to accelerate, something which cannot be said about the other Indian batters. It was a bold stroke of genius from the aggressive keeper-batter.
#1 Mistake - India picked Mohammed Siraj as a passenger in the XI
Reports suggested that India would dish out another rank turner in Mumbai, following a similar pitch in Pune. Those turned out to be true, with spin dominating the proceedings right from the first session.
Despite engineering a square turner, India picked two fast bowlers, one of which was the underperforming Mohammed Siraj. Siraj bowled just six overs in the match and didn't seem like picking up a wicket at any stage of those 36 balls.
The hosts should've been bold enough to pick a fourth spinner in Axar Patel, who would've not only been effective with the ball but also added a ton of security with the bat. That could've been the difference between a win and a whitewash for India.