IND vs NZ 2024: 3 players who flopped and 2 who starred in the 3rd India vs New Zealand Test match ft. Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli
Team India suffered their first whitewash at home in a series of more than one Test as New Zealand beat them by 25 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, November 3. Rohit Sharma and Co. broke a series of unwanted records as they crumbled on Day 3 of the third Test.
Chasing a gettable 147, the hosts lost a clump of wickets in the first half of their second innings and never recovered from that. The Kiwis, who weren't expected to win even one game on the tour, ended up blanking the Indian team and setting fire to their hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship final.
On that note, here are three players who flopped and two who starred in the third Test between India and New Zealand.
#5 Flop - Rohit Sharma
India's captain endured a miserable outing in the third Test, capping off a poor series overall. Rohit Sharma finished the rubber with less than 100 runs to his name, and to make matters worse, fell to pace both times in Mumbai.
Batting at his home ground, Rohit was expected to dig deep and save his team from a whitewash. However, he didn't deliver at all, with his dismissal in the second innings showing a clear lack of willingness to grit it out and occupy time at the crease.
Rohit's defensive fields and strange bowling changes were one of the biggest causes of India's defeat.
#4 Star - Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja's bowling form had been a bit hot and cold leading into this Test, but he came up with a decent display in helpful conditions. The left-arm spinner finished with twin five-fers even as his batting didn't come to the party.
Jadeja used a few pace variations in the first innings to put doubt in the Kiwi batters' minds, something which was sorely lacking in the Pune Test. His arm ball was at its deadly best, and he could've helped the hosts wrap up the second innings much earlier had he been brought on.
#3 Flop - Virat Kohli
India's superstar batter has been way off color lately. Virat Kohli failed in both innings in the Mumbai Test, with both his dismissals frustrating fans of the home team around the world.
With the day winding down, Kohli, who opted to use a nightwatchman in the form of the wholly incapable Mohammed Siraj, tried getting through for a non-existent single. It was a bizarre lack of game awareness and judgment from a player who has been at the highest level for nearly two decades.
Kohli's familiar spin weaknesses caught up to him in the chase, one he would've previously been banked on to get the team through. It's time for India to start asking some tough questions.
#2 Star - Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant went through the Pune Test without a notable batting contribution, but that lean patch wasn't going to last long. The dynamic keeper-batter notched up two scintillating half-centuries, seemingly batting on a different pitch at the Wankhede Stadium.
Pant's range of shots against the spinners was on full display, and he balanced attack and defense perfectly. While his keeping wasn't at its perfect best throughout the Test, it was only through his batting efforts that Rohit and Co. were even in with a shout.
#1 Flop - Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan started the series on a positive note in Bengaluru, but things have gone downhill since then. The 27-year-old was responsible for using his grittiness to pull India through tough conditions in his home city, but he was softly dismissed cheaply in both innings.
Sarfaraz's second-innings dismissal, caught at deep square leg off a full toss, was inexcusable. He needed to take on more leadership in the middle order and do what he has done so many times in domestic cricket. India will be concerned regarding his spot in the side heading into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.