An undefeated run of 12 years ended in disgrace when India lost the second Test match and the series to the visiting New Zealand team. With big battles coming up against Australia for the Border-Gavaskar trophy, this result against New Zealand could significantly affect the forthcoming series in Australia.
But before analysing the reasons for India’s unexpected defeat, one must acknowledge the competitive spirit of the Kiwis who registered their first-ever series win on Indian soil. It is a difficult job to beat India in Indian conditions and the fact that the visiting side pulled it off was a commendable feat.
Mitchell Santner, the bowler who made the Indian batting order collapse like a house of cards is a modest spin-bowling all-rounder. At the age of 32, he is no longer in the prime of his youth by sports standards. But he cleverly exploited the leaden-footed approach of the Indian batsmen who showed none of the skills that they reputedly have against spin bowling.
Is India’s strength only a myth?
The Indian batsmen’s much vaunted ability to dominate spin bowling was shattered by Santner. The words of Simon Doull, former New Zealand player and now commentator, are worth heeding. Doull said: “There is a misconception that Indians are good at playing spin. They are like everyone else. Gone are the days of Sachin, Ganguly, and Dravid. Now they are the same as everyone else. As soon as a good spinner comes in, they land in trouble.”
Dilip Vengsarkar made a very pertinent comment about this issue. According to him, the Indian batsmen learn to play well against spin by taking part in domestic cricket. Since the top players rarely get the chance to play domestic cricket, they may have lost the knack of playing spin.
To top it all, Santner has been causing problems for India’s best batsmen. Virat Kohli was dismissed in both innings by Santner without contributing much. King Kohli is finding it increasingly difficult to pile up the runs as fluently as he used to do. As a result, the murmurs are growing louder – that the King should now abdicate his throne to a younger man.
Neither Kohli nor Rohit Sharma has been performing consistently. Even Rohit Sharma’s success rate is slowing down. In the last 16 Test matches, Rohit and Kohli have collectively scored only 291 runs. This has added to India’s woes.
What does the future hold?
Now what does the future hold for India? The squad for the Border Gavaskar trophy has already been announced. The big question now is how our team will fare on the fast and bouncy tracks of Australia.
Although most experts had made India the favourite to win the trophy, some doubts have now crept in due to the result against New Zealand. Against Australia, the absence of the experienced Mohammed Shami and the wily Kuldeep Yadav could be a handicap for India.
The BCCI says that both are unfit. But Shami has been desperately trying to prove that he is fit and posting videos of himself bowling at top speed. So perhaps the comeback star Washington Sundar who provided the silver lining in India’s loss to New Zealand, will get a chance to prove his worth on Australian pitches.
Young Nitish Kumar Reddy may also get his golden opportunity to display skill and stamina. But overall, the fast bowling attack looks slightly lacking in experience. The Aussies are waiting to tear our bowling apart and will gleefully do so if given the smallest opening.
As for Coach Gautam Gambhir, the start of his coaching stint has been very subdued. Under him the Indian team lost a bilateral ODI series to Sri Lanka and now a Test series to New Zealand. The only way he can redeem himself is by guiding the team to a triumph in the Border Gavaskar trophy. Indian cricket fans are hoping that the cracks that have surfaced in the matches against New Zealand, will be patched up when the series begins against Australia in November.
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