IND vs NZ 2024: 3 players who flopped and 2 who starred in the 2nd India vs New Zealand Test match ft. Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli
Team India suffered their first home Test series loss in 12 years as New Zealand beat them by 113 runs in the second Test at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Saturday, October 26. The Black Caps had previously won the opening encounter of the series by eight wickets in Bengaluru.
After Tom Latham won the toss and elected to bat, India were always chasing the game. Rohit Sharma and Co. conceded a sizable first innings lead, following which they never recovered despite the odd spirited batting effort in the chase. The contest was eventually wrapped up within three days.
On that note, here are three players who flopped and two who starred in the second Test between India and New Zealand.
#5 Flop - Rohit Sharma
India's captain had a terrible outing on multiple fronts in the second Test against New Zealand. Rohit Sharma managed just eight runs across the two innings, and his captaincy came under a host of criticism from all quarters.
While it's hard to blame Rohit for his dismissal in the first innings, with Tim Southee producing a beautiful outswinger that squared him up, he was certainly at fault in the second essay. Moreover, his defensive field placements gave New Zealand the chance to get ahead of the game on the very first morning, an advantage that they never squandered.
Serious questions need to be asked about Rohit Sharma, the Test captain.
#4 Star - Yashasvi Jaiswal
In a disappointing Test overall for India, Yashasvi Jaiswal was once again one of the lone bright spots. He notched up 30 runs in the first innings before falling in Glenn Phillips' first over and came up with a valuable half-century in the second essay.
At one point on Day 3, it even seemed like Jaiswal's aggression would give India a chance of scaling down the daunting 359-run fourth-innings target. While that was eventually a bridge too far to cross, the opener did himself a few favors with his range of shots and evident solidity against spin.
#3 Flop - Virat Kohli
Rohit wasn't the only senior Indian batter to let the team down in Pune. Virat Kohli, whose form in red-ball cricket has been patchy of late, was dismissed cheaply in both innings.
Kohli's first-innings dismissal was inexcusable as he attempted an ugly cross-batted swipe and missed a full toss. While he started fairly positively in the second essay, Jaiswal's dismissal saw him go to into a shell. The superstar batter hung back to a ball he should have been on the front foot for to be trapped in front of the stumps.
Kohli's average over the last five years in Test cricket is now in the mid-30s.
#2 Star - Washington Sundar
Entering the fray at Kuldeep Yadav's expense, Washington Sundar turned out to be an inspired pick at the MCA Stadium in Pune. The spin-bowling all-rounder came up with valuable contributions in both departments, particularly with the ball, to give India a fighting chance in the contest.
Sundar picked up seven wickets in the first innings and followed it up with a four-fer in the second. The off-spinner's high revolutions imparted on the ball, combined with his relentless accuracy, proved nearly impossible for New Zealand to counter. He also appeared to be one of India's more assured batters against spin.
Sundar's performance was a massive boost for a team that has already begun its search to find replacements for Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
#1 Flop - Rishabh Pant
It's not often that a home Test match ends without a notable batting contribution from Rishabh Pant. But after a sparkling 99 in the second innings in Bengaluru, the superstar wicketkeeper-batter failed across both innings in Pune.
Pant was entirely responsible for his wicket in the first innings as he attempted a hoick of Phillips, only to be bowled. With India in a desperate situation in the chase, he never should have set off for a nonexistent single that Kohli called him through for.
Pant's dismissal was essentially the final nail in India's coffin.