- The Indian cricket team is almost invincible in familiar home conditions, as evidenced by the statistics of the last decade-plus years. The visitors always find it extremely tough to beat the Indian team simply because of the visiting team’s inability to master the conditions favouring the home team’s strength, i.e. match-winning spinners. Most visiting teams, apart from the subcontinental entities, find it tough to crack the spin conundrum while touring India. As you know, the overseas teams are bolstered by world-class pacers who can run through any team on their day but find it difficult to master the batting-friendly conditions in India. Yes, a few teams of yore like the West Indies, Australia, and England have managed to best Team India in the past.
PC: India Sports Pages
- But those successes were decades back. However, Team India has gone from strength to strength in the last couple of decades, a fact duly backed by powerful performances. However, that the visiting New Zealand cricket team has bested the strong Indian side by already pocketing the three-match Test series is a script that has gone awry for the favourites with one Test to be played. That the Kiwis were duly blanked by Sri Lanka in the two-Test series before landing here is a testimony to the way the New Zealand cricketers always pull their weight to deliver when it matters most. Remember, Team India was riding high on confidence after winning the T20 World Cup and blanking out Bangladesh in the recently concluded two-match Test series.
- As such, it was presumed that Team India would have it easy by steamrolling the Kiwis and booking their participation in the World Test Championship finals. Did someone mention that cricket is a game of uncertainty with unending twists and twirls? Of course, it is. In hindsight, it is quite evident that India simply lost the momentum from the time they chose to field in the overcast conditions and moisture-lades pitch in the Bengaluru Test. Team India was skittled out for a paltry 46 runs in the first Test and they never recovered from then onwards. The batting stalwarts captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have not stepped up to deliver the goods for the team. The young batters like Yashaswi Jaiswal, Sarfraz Khan, and Rishabh Pant were spectacular though.
PC: Times Of India
- The bowling unit led by the indefatigable Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin has been below par in the two Tests played so far. A big plus is the amazing skills showcased by Washington Sundar claiming 10 plus wickets in the Test though his exploits could not help Team India lose the match and the series. Will Team India be successful in avoiding the potential whitewash – a rare occurrence for the home team – by putting up a better show in the Mumbai Test? Time will reveal the answer. The moot point to ponder over here is did Team India became complacent by assuming that the next big thing would be the WTC rather than counter the threats posed by the Kiwis. Hopefully, Team India will be able to pull their weight to deliver in the last Test match.
