IND vs NZ 2024: India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test - Who Said What?
New Zealand defeated India by 113 runs in the Pune Test.
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New Zealand scripted history as they pulled off an Everest-like win against India in the second Test in Pune. With this win the visitors not only clinched the series 2-0, with a game to be played but also ended India's 18-Test series win record.
Unlike the overcast weather conditions in Bengaluru, Pune turned out to be quite bright and sunny since the opening day. The Tom Latham-led side won the toss and elected to bat first in a spin-conducive track. On Day 1, the tourists were bundled out for 259, just before the end of the day. For the Kiwis, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra made notable contributions with the bat, scoring 76 and 65, respectively.
For India, it was Washington Sundar who did the trick with the ball and made good use of the pitch. The off-spinner bagged seven wickets. His senior teammate Ravichandran Ashwin also chipped in with three important wickets. The hosts coming into bat in the last hours of the day, ended on 16/1 and lost the crucial wicket of the Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma.
Continuing their batting on the next day, the side were dismantled for 156 and were trailing by 103 runs. For the BlackCaps, it was Mitchell Santner who picked a seven-wicket haul. New Zealand came to bat for the second time in the tie and looked confident to exceed their lead. This time it was skipper Latham who took the onus upon himself to score some crucial runs for the side. The southpaw made 86 before being dismissed by Washington Sundar.
Though the visitors were losing wickets in tandem, it was the crucial stand between Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips that helped to take the significant lead over the hosts. Eventually, the side was bowled out for 255 and gave the Men in Blue a challenging target of 359 runs.
The hosts had a brilliant start with the bat but kept losing wickets in quick succession. Though India was in the game till the halfway mark, Kiwi spinners, headed by Santner, kept the relentless pressure on the opposition and at last won the game by a huge 113-run margin.
Talking Points
1. Ashwin, Jadeja's rare failure on home soil
One of the biggest talking points of the clash were India's senior spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja's subpar performance. While Ashwin scalped, five wickets in total, including three in the first innings and two in the other, his partner went wicketless in the first but came back with three wickets in the other. The hosts have been dependent on their senior pros for quite a long time and having an off day can be considered as a rare occasion. But this did not prevent them from ending up on the losing side.
2. Rohit-Virat poor form
Skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli had a forgettable outing with the bat. Rohit who has been going through a form slump couldn't find his rhythm in the game. On the other hand, Kohli played some poor shots which cost him his wicket. Furthermore, Rohit also made some poor decisions while rotating the bowlers and conducting the field placements in the crucial moments of the match.
3. New Zealand's all-round performance
The visitor's all-round performance put them over the line in the second Test of the three matches series. Not only did the bowlers do the job on the spin-friendly wicket, but the Kiwi batters played their shots well and tackled India's bowling attack well. Meanwhile, Latham as a captain made some correct calls and put an attacking field to put continuous pressure on the home side.
Who Said What?
Losing skipper, Rohit Sharma said:
Disappointing. It's not what we expected. Got to give credit to NZ - they played better than us. We failed to capitalise on certain moments. We failed to respond to those challenges. And we sit here today. Didn't think we batted well enough to get runs on the board. You've got to pick 20 wickets to win, yes, but batters have to put runs on the board. Was a great fightback to restrict them to 250-odd but we knew it was going to be challenging. When they started off, they were 200/3 and for us to come back and get them bowled out for 259 was a great effort. Wasn't a pitch where a lot was happening. We just didn't bat well enough. Things would've been slightly different had we got a bit closer in the first innings. We want to show up well at Wankhede and try and win that Test. It's a collective failure. I'm not somebody who would blame just the batters or the bowlers. We will come out with better intent, better ideas and better methods at Wankhede.
Winning skipper, Tom Latham said:
Really special feeling. Proud to be in this position. Whole team effort and a clear example of everyone pitching in. When you come over here you want to put your best foot forward. Putting runs on the board at the start was really important. Have to mention Mitch Santner. He was fantastic. Has been around the group a long time, and to finally get a break and bowl the way he has - credit to him. It was about trying to stick to our basics and play the long game. Both surfaces have been different, we've needed to adapt and we've done that very well. The method we played with last night - to put ourselves on the front foot - was terrifc. The way GP played this morning was really important. We knew India were going to come out hot. Didn't realise they were going to come that hot, but we managed to get the breakthroughs in the middle session. Those last two wickets took an age but when Tim took that catch we were really happy.
Player of the Match, Mitchell Santner said:
Not really (bowled differently in second innings?). Felt a little harder this time. Credit to India for the way they came out. That was the best way on that wicket. We were just hanging in. My side's a bit sore. 20-odd overs in a row. I guess in that kind of situation you just want to keep going. Everytime I got a wicket it felt a little better. Nice to contribute to the team. Winning a series over here is very tough. Obviously very pleasing for us. Everytime you take wickets you feel confident. Landing the ball in the same spot all the time with little changes in pace - that's what we try and do as a spin unit.
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