"It's as big as us winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time" - Aakash Chopra on New Zealand's win in IND vs NZ 2024 Test series
Aakash Chopra reckons New Zealand's win in the ongoing Test series against India is as big as Virat Kohli and company's victory in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He pointed out that the Kiwis had won just two Tests in India before the start of the current series.
New Zealand beat India by 113 runs in the second Test in Pune on Saturday, October 26. It helped them take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after having registered an eight-wicket win in the first game in Bengaluru.
During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Chopra was asked about the magnitude of New Zealand's series win.
"If you have to put it in context, it's as big as us winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time because it's like the final frontier. It's a fortress which it seems can't be breached at all. When you have only two Tests in the history of decades, you don't think about the series at all," he responded.
The former India opener added that the win is even more significant as it came in Kane Williamson's absence.
"However, you won the first match after 36 years and then won the second as well. You beat us once with pace and destroyed us with spin the second time. Let's not forget that Kane Williamson wasn't even there. If you can beat this Indian team in India in Kane Williamson's absence, it's a massive moment," Chopra observed.
New Zealand have previously never won a Test series in India. Their two Test wins before the start of this series came in 1969-70 and 1988-89, with the first coming in a drawn series and the second as part of a 1-2 defeat.
"They read the conditions and changed their game according to it very well" - Aakash Chopra on New Zealand
![Mitchell Santner starred with a 13-wicket haul in the Pune Test. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/10/ad148-17299464451738-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same discussion, Aakash Chopra replied in the affirmative when asked whether New Zealand used the conditions better than India.
"They read the conditions and changed their game according to it very well. We prepared the pitch. Maybe we didn't want that kind of pitch in the first match but we made this one. When we prepare the pitch, we also play our personnel and make our game plan according to that. It's an away tour for the opposition team, so they just react," he said.
The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that Tom Latham's side made the most of the seamer-friendly conditions in Bengaluru.
"If you prepared a pitch that has a little moisture, they would just try to do their best. They bowl you out for 46, then bat well, and when we were making a comeback, they waited for the second new ball and then attacked with their fast bowlers," Chopra elaborated.
Chopra added that the visitors included Mitchell Santner in the playing XI in Pune based on the conditions.
"If you see here as well, they played Mitchell Santner, who generally is not part of the XI unless you see a pitch that helps spin more. On this pitch, since the surface was very hard from below, you had to bowl slightly slow in the air. It worked out really well for them," he explained.
Aakash Chopra highlighted that New Zealand also realized that the Indian batters have some issues against left-arm spin, or else they could have played Ish Sodhi. He added that even in batting, one has to agree that they reacted better to the conditions.