3 areas of concern for India following their defeat in the 2nd Test vs New Zealand ft. Virat Kohli's form
India suffered a disappointing defeat in the second Test against New Zealand as they went down by 113 runs at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Saturday, October 26. The Black Caps handed the hosts their first home Test series loss in 12 years.
India now have an uphill task ahead of them as far as the 2023-25 World Test Championship is concerned. They need four wins in their remaining matches to qualify for the final outright, a feat that will prove incredibly difficult against New Zealand and Australia.
On that note, here are three areas of concern for India following their defeat in the second Test against New Zealand.
#3 Virat Kohli's Test returns are falling off a cliff
Since the start of 2019, Virat Kohli averages in the mid-30s in Test cricket. It seemed like he had broken out of his poor form in the post-pandemic phase, but recent assignments against Bangladesh and New Zealand have indicated that he isn't anywhere close to his best.
In the second innings against New Zealand, Kohli had an opportunity to make up for his terrible dismissal in the first, where he hoicked a full toss across the line to be bowled. However, while the superstar batter started positively, he soon went into his shell and found himself trapped on the crease to a ball he should have played off the front foot.
Kohli clearly doesn't inspire the kind of confidence he used to, and his lean patch has persisted for quite a sustained period. It's time to ask some difficult questions, and India will be very worried ahead of an important tour of Australia.
#2 What is India's ideal batting order in Tests?
Shubman Gill has played a few important innings at the No. 3 spot, but it's worth asking whether that's his ideal position in red-ball cricket. India should ideally look to slot him in at a position lower in the lineup, giving him the chance to make the most of scoring opportunities without exposing him to new-ball swing.
Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan and KL Rahul both have issues of their own. While Sarfaraz's technique against pace and ability to handle bounce are serious questions, Rahul just hasn't been able to convert his starts into sizeable knocks often enough.
These three players' questionable roles, combined with Kohli's poor form, have ensured that there are several doubts regarding the ideal composition of the team's batting lineup. The ongoing series against New Zealand, especially the second Test, has done nothing to solve any of those problems.
#1 R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja haven't been anywhere near their best lately
There's a reason why India hadn't lost a home Test series in 12 years until New Zealand managed to pull off the unthinkable. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin formed a formidable spin-bowling partnership for most of that period, while also making invaluable contributions with the bat lower down the order.
Now, however, it's time to ask whether India needs to look for replacements. Both Ashwin and Jadeja have been off-color lately, with the lower order not coming up with as many rearguard efforts as they used to. The duo have appeared to be out of form with the ball as well.
Given India's lack of pace-bowling all-rounders, they might need to play both Ashwin and Jadeja in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. And given how the two players have fared against Bangladesh and New Zealand, that might be a serious problem. It could turn out to be an issue during future home assignments as well.