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Outclassed, Outspun and Outdone.
These three words aptly describe the annihilation Team India suffered at the hands of New Zealand who perhaps were more than confident, actually overconfident if I may to convincingly beat the Blackcaps at home.
Well, why wouldn’t they be as the Men In Blue were defending a rather enviable and invincible record of 18 consecutive series wins in the beautiful landscape of India across a time span of a whopping 12 years.
Let this sink in!
Yes, it was a little over a decade ago when Rohit Sharma’s chargers last lost a Test Series at home at the hands of England.
Perhaps, youngsters, the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, ShubmanGill and Sarfaraz Khan were carving an imprint on their existence at the time, getting ready to challenge life by entering an impressionable age.
Such was the gap between then and now.
With this being said, credit must be showered on New Zealand who arrived at the shores of India, having lost to Sri Lanka and truth be told, no-one really gave them a chance to carve an impression here.
Well, Tom Latham and his men in typical under-dog fashion, completely surprised one and all when they overcame the mighty and indomitable India not in Bengaluru but also followed that up with a decisive win recently in Pune to take an unrivalled and unbeatable lead in this three-match series.
So as the Blackcaps enjoy a series hurrah for the first time in India since time immemorial, lets see how they rose to the occasion in this rather exciting carnival of cricket:
Mitch Santner and Rachin Ravindra, the chief destroyers for the Kiwis
With a career best – 13 wickets for 157 runs, Santner undoubtedly justified his selection for the second test on a Pune surface that was unarguably conducive for spin.
It was the injury to Matt Henry that gave Santner this opportunity in the first place which this easy-going left hander grabbed with both hands.
His feat was so magical that it glorified the man in annals of Kiwi cricketing history, as the third best figures for any New Zealand bowler in test matches only behind the legendary all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee and Mitch’s compatriot in the game, Ajaz Patel.
Having said this, when one dwells on the first Test where the Blackcaps were also all but lethal in demolishing India, a name that immediately pops up is that of young RachinRavindra.
The talented southpaw was amid the runs as he scored an artistic century in the first innings giving New Zealand an unsurmountable lead and followed that up with a decisive 39 to seal the victory as a reeling crowd looked on in rather disbelief at the Chinnaswamy.
Well, the feat was so praiseworthy that Rachin tops the batting exploits as things stand with a mighty 247 runs to his name at a mouth-watering average of 82.
Credit must also be given to Devon Conway, Tom Latham and Matt Henry who perhaps have been the able support cast in making the impossible happen.
Where does Team India go from here?
Well, for starters they go to Mumbai, the chaos capital of India, to salvage some pride courtesy a win, if possible, to alleviate the sorrows of their rather emotional fans.
With the tour to Australia also looming and the squad already announced with Rohit Sharma still at the helm, it would undoubtedly be interesting to observe if this outfit recovers from the depths of adversity.
With this being said, from a long-term standpoint, Team India along with the selectors and coaches needs to take a long hard look at themselves and form a full-proof plan for the future.
If this requires taking some tough decisions like dropping eminent stalwarts in Kohli, Sharma, Ashwin and Jadeja, then so be it.
A team needs to be built for the future buzzing with young blood, the likes of Gill, Jaiswal and others who should tirelessly work towards making Team India even stronger heading into what lies ahead.
It has happened before under the regime of a past stalwart in Dhoni who built a new team in 2007 that attained a fair amount of success and there is no reason it can’t happen again.
Well, that’s for future albeit for now, New Zealand have unquestionably added another feather to their cap and are justifiably immersing themselves in this moment of immense ecstasy.
Well-done Kiwis!
