India vs New Zealand: Some hard lessons to learn for Team India after a sobering loss

India's failures in Bengaluru and Pune were a result of failing to understand the grammar of Test match batting
PUNE: When Rohit Sharma said he doesn't want to be too critical of his players after seeing India's invincibility at home end against New Zealand after 12 years and 18 series in Pune on Saturday, he may have had a point.

A close look of this Test team in all conditions reveals a few serious shortcomings. Crucially, the commitment of the players and the stars to domestic multi-day cricket must be questioned.

It starts with the batters appearing in no position to either hone or polish their defensive techniques or increase their ability to bat for long periods of time. Not just because they play a very high percentage of white-ball cricket where explosiveness is rewarded more than balance, technique and patience, the busy international calendar and star culture also means they hardly get to play domestic first-class cricket.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have not played a first-class game this season. All other pure batters in the team picked for the Test series against NZ, had played at least a game - either in the Duleep Trophy or Ranji Trophy.

The reason behind Rohit and Virat not playing any first-class game, be it either citing fitness worries or workload management, could be genuine and may have been recommended too by the medical team and team management. But not spending time in the middle, under the sun and in competitive environment can lead to failures. The runs, or lack of runs, in domestic cricket can help a player and his team to understand where he stands in terms of form and match-readiness.

When Washington Sundar made a dramatic Test comeback on the first day of the Pune game, all experts were united in their opinion: He was ready after playing against Delhi only a few days ago.

Besides Sundar, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav also played a domestic First-Class game despite his chronic groin issue. And so did Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel and Axar Patel.

Like Rohit and Virat, even Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohd Siraj did not play a domestic First-Class game before the Bangladesh series or before the first Test against NZ in Bengaluru.

Rohit himself confessed that his reading of the pitch on the first day in Bengaluru was incorrect. The Pune pitch seemed to have slightly stumped him too as he took pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep out of the game in the second innings. The talk of playing five specialist bowlers in Indian conditions never rang so hollow.

The Indian skipper with the hitherto Midas touch felt that there have been only two batting collapses, and the team should be allowed concessions after doing so well over the years at home.

It would be good to remember that India were all out for 145 (vs England, Ahmedabad 2021) and 109 & 163 (vs Australia, Indore 2023) too. While a completely doctored pitch ensured that the Ahmedabad game got over within two days, the crushing Indore defeat had seen Rohit winning the toss and opting to bat first.

When India won the 2020-21 Test series in Australia, Rohit Sharma missed the first two Tests and KL Rahul came back after missing the first Test due to injury. Virat too played just the Adelaide Test (all out 36); the game India lost.

Now, the troika is expected to provide calming influence on India's batting Down Under which seems a tall ask. Especially going by the form and manner of dismissals of Rohit and Virat in the longest form of the game.

To their credit, Rohit or coach Gautam Gambhir have not given the impression that they have not accepted the team's shortcomings - patience, technique, handling pressure and failure to bat out sessions consistently. Hence there is still optimism - for both the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under and WTC qualification.

CLASS OF 2008
India had scored 387-4 for their most remarkable successful Test chase in recent years against England in Chennai in 2008. The target of 359 in Pune was similar. Virender Sehwag (83) had given India a blazing start in Chennai.

Yashavi Jaiswal played a similar role in Pune with an attacking 77. But Rohit Sharma (8), Virat Kohli (17) and Rishabh Pant (0) failed to essay the kind of roles played by Gautam Gambhir (66*), Sachin Tendulkar (103*) and Yuvraj (85*) from the class of 2008.

SHORT TESTS A NORM
It was the third Test at the Gahunje stadium and none have gone into the fifth day. India added five more new Test centres, besides Pune, in recent years. They are Rajkot, Indore, Ranchi, Visakhapatnam and Dharamshala.

These other five centres have hosted a combined 14 Tests with three lasting five days, seven four days and four three days. So, Tests ending early is an overall norm. The preceding Test in Bengaluru also lasted only four days with the first day being washed out.


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