In a shocking and disheartening series of events, India were whitewashed 0-3 by New Zealand at their own home, as the kiwis spectacularly defended a modest target of 147 to win the third test and thus claim the series 3-0. Fans couldn’t be more disheartened after India lost the first two tests and conceded an unassailable lead to New Zealand, however the kiwis added salt to their wounds to give the hosts only their second home test series whitewash in history.
No praise high enough for this achievement from NZ. Possibly the greatest moment in NZ Cricket history. They outplayed India in every department in the toughest place to come and win, and deserve all the accolades and respect. Well played @BLACKCAPS 👏🏻👏🏻 #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/P26qa1oE89
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) November 3, 2024
Great series win for New Zealand,incredible performance!
— Mickey Arthur (@Mickeyarthurcr1) November 3, 2024
India will go to Australia with a massive point to prove!#INDvNZ
In the kiwis’ first innings, India started off well by dismissing Devon Conway, skipper Tom Latham and previous match’s centurion Rachin Ravindra early on. However, Will Young and Daryl Mitchell put up a good fight to help the kiwis score, although failure to receive support from other batsmen lead NZ to be dismissed for a meagre 235.
From there, India seemed to be in control of the game, although the fear of another collapse after restricting NZ to a low total loomed large, as it had happened in the previous match. The Men in Blue got off to a smooth start, with Yashasvi Jaiswal batted elegantly and swiftly. However, towards the end of Day 2, the fall of his wicket marked a reproachable and reprehensible collapse, as India slipped from 78/1 to 84/4 in just five minutes. Rohit Sharma’s strange choice of Mohammad Siraj for the role of a nightwatchman was unfathomable and detrimental, as he was dismissed on the very first ball, also wasting a DRS. This decision was also firmly criticized by Ravi Shastri, who slammed Siraj for wasting a DRS and further criticized the decision to send Siraj, stating that Ravichandran Ashwin should’ve been sent instead, as he is totally capable of not only executing that role well, but his caliber is undoubtedly beyond that of a nightwatchman. The waste of a wicket and DRS, and the poor decision making hurt India, whose misery was only piled on as the huge wicket of Virat Kohli had also fallen before the end of the second day. This collapse completely derailed India, and despite the resilient batting display by Shubman Gill(90 off 146) and Rishabh Pant(60 off 59); India were restricted to a trivial lead of just 28 runs. That collapse potentially prevented India from reaching high scores like 300+, 350+ or possibly even 400+ and pulled things back severely, also undoubtedly being partially responsible in their struggle in the rest of the match, as well as their loss.
Virat Kohli in this series has been clean bowled to a full toss and now this error of judgement to be run out. This needs to change if India needs to reach the WTC final.
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) November 1, 2024
In the kiwis’ second innings, India did a commendable job to take wickets at regular intervals and pressurize them, restricting them to a meagre 174 with Ravindra Jadeja taking a fifer(5/55). It seemed like India were in complete control as they had to chase an exceedingly low total of 147, and the low amount to some extent lowered the fear of another collapse after a good comeback, countless of which have happened through all 3 tests in the series. However, in an off-putting, mortifying and bungling batting display, filled with unfathomably reckless shot selection, unnecessary haste in scoring and unnatural, constant bungling from all batsmen, especially in pressure situations; India disgracefully crumbled to 121 all out and got whitewashed on their own home grounds; with wickets falling in regular intervals, pressure and misery being piled on the Men in Blue right from the start and their unexpected and unnatural failure to deliver in pressure situations, which has happened throughout the series. This has been truly disheartening and shocking from Team India. Their batting collapses in both their innings took the game away from the Men in Blue, despite an excellent performance from the bowlers.
Losing 3-0 at home is a tough pill to swallow, and it calls for introspection.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) November 3, 2024
Was it lack of preparation, was it poor shot selection, or was it lack of match practice? @ShubmanGill showed resilience in the first innings, and @RishabhPant17 was brilliant in both innings— his… pic.twitter.com/8f1WifI5Hd
This is embarrassing display by team India at home. Lot to ponder over by the decision makers. Well done New Zealand on such a terrific performance.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) November 3, 2024
India’s constant batting failures and poor pressure handling have proved to be very detrimental as this is only the second whitewash the Men in Blue have faced in their history of cricket, the first one coming from South Africa 24 years ago, in 2000. This, after already having lost their first home test series since 2012, has only aggravated the disappointment and frustration of the fans. This third loss has come in Wankhede Stadium, which is one of the best in India and is regarded as one of the best among India’s home grounds. Rohit Sharma’s failure as captain and batsman, as well as Virat Kohli’s irresponsibly poor performances have raised eyebrows among fans and experts, who have scrutinized them severely for their failures.
You're not a god, bro. You can't just play for two weeks and then head back to London for a month. Either commit to good cricket or retire to balance family life. It doesn't matter how many centuries you’ve smashed or how high your standards are #ViratKohli #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/ujozWmcdH4
— Ajay Thakur (@ur_next_target) November 1, 2024
This is horrible from Rohit. 😭😭
— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) November 1, 2024
In spite of getting multiple lifelines in this inning, he fails.
Rohit Sharma looks finished in the red ball cricket.
— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) November 1, 2024
He made another glorious selfless 18 and departed.The most concerning thing is, he is getting out by the pacer when other Bateman are troubled by the spinners.That's, really concerning sign ahead of BGT. pic.twitter.com/fdHtIJHSl8
This whitewash has raised several concerns about India’s test team and has reduced their chances of reaching the WTC final in 2025. The Men in Blue would like to forget this humiliating whitewash as soon as possible and pull up their socks to work on their issues and bounce back as a better team to win the WTC. Their next test series a five-match one in Australia, which will put their abilities to test. Four of the most dangerous Australian stadiums – The Gabba, Adelaide Oval, MCG and SCG along with Optus stadium, recently scrutinized for being dangerous, will feature in this series. If India want to have any chance of making it to the final, they need to win this series at the very least, if not achieve a whitewash. Both options sound ridiculous given how badly India performed at their home itself. However, we must not forget that India is knowing for bouncing back after rough times and it is undeniable that it is still a world-class team with many potent players.
