“We made a lot of mistakes” – Rohit Sharma reacts to India’s 25-run loss to New Zealand in 3rd Test
India captain Rohit Sharma was disappointed to lose the third Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, November 1. The 38-year-old conceded that the hosts made plenty of mistakes and were far from their best, which cost them the match despite getting a 28-run first innings lead.
Chasing 147 runs, Rohit's men fell flat, falling short by 25 runs in the game and thus lost the series 3-0. This was only the second time India were whitewashed in a home Test series after Sachin Tendulkar's side had gone down 2-0 to South Africa in a two-Test series in 2000.
This was also only the third time India had lost three consecutive home Tests in a series, after 1958-59 against the West Indies and 1976-77 against England.
Commenting on the deflating defeat, Rohit Sharma said in his post-match comments (via Cricbuzz):
“Losing a series, losing a Test is never easy, it's something that's not easily digestible. Again, we didn't play our best cricket, we know and we have to accept. They (New Zealand) did so much better than us. We made a lot of mistakes and we'll have to accept it.”
“We didn't put enough runs on the board in the 1st innings (in Bengaluru and Pune) and we were behind in the game, here, we got a 30-run lead, we thought we were ahead, the target was achievable as well, we had to do better though,” he added.
“It didn't come off and that's disappointing for me” – Rohit Sharma addresses his failures with the bat in the Test series vs New Zealand
While addressing his lean patch with the bat, Rohit Sharma said he couldn't execute his plans properly in all three Tests against New Zealand. He said during the same interaction:
“You want runs on the board as well, that's something that was there in my mind (on his own batting today), it didn't come off and when it happens, it doesn't look great. There are certain ideas on my mind when I go to bat, but in this series, it didn't come off and that's disappointing for me.”
Rohit, meanwhile, lauded Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill for their batting performance in the Test series.
“Those guys showed how to bat on these surfaces (on Pant, Jaiswal, and Gill), you've got to be ahead and be proactive, we are playing on such pitches in the last 3-4 years, we know how to play (and play well),” he said.
“But this series, it didn't come off and that's going to hurt. Also, I wasn't at my best with both bat and as a captain, that's something that'll rankle me. But, we didn't perform well collectively and that's the reason for these losses,” he concluded.
How key Indian batters performed in the Test series vs the Kiwis:
- Rohit Sharma: 91 runs @15.16
- Virat Kohli: 93 runs @15.50
- Rishabh Pant: 261 @43.50
- Yashasvi Jaiswal: 190 @31.66
- Shubman Gill: 144 @36
Rohit Sharma and Co. will next play the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. The first of the five-match Test series begins in Perth on November 22.