Pune: India crashed to their first Test series defeat at home in 12 years with Mitchel Santner yet again exposing their frailties against quality spin bowling as the crushing 113-run defeat in the second match enervated the team’s pole position in the World Test Championship.
If the hosts endured their first defeat after 18 consecutive Test series victories, New Zealand celebrated their first ever series-victory on the Indian soil in nearly 70 years.
The Kiwis have been travelling to this part of the world since 1955 but Black Caps could never break the Indian citadel all these years.
Indian batters, once considered the best players of the spin bowling, danced to the tune of Santner, who dominated the home line-up with 13 wickets in the match, including seven in the first innings.
In pursuit of 359, Indian batters cut a sorry figure once again. The were bowled out for 245 with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 77 and Ravindra Jadeja (42) being the only ones to resist the Kiwis.
India’s successive batting collapses, beginning with the historic low of 46 all-out in the first essay of Bengaluru Test which they lost by eight wickets, culminated with first series loss at home since 2012-13 when England vanquished them.
Kiwis broke India’s string of 18 consecutive Test series wins at home. It was also India’s only fourth Test series defeat in their own backyard since turn of the century.
The heavy defeat means that India stay on top in the WTC table with 98 points but their percentage points (62.82) got hit badly as Australia are now marginally behind at 62.50.
Before travelling to Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy, it was imperative for India to win the series at home and consolidate their top position to ensure that they make the WTC final.
India’s task has only got tougher now because of the sheer challenge Australia are going to pose before them.
On Saturday, facing an uphill battle to keep the series alive and safeguard their record, none of the specialist Indian batters barring the 22-year-old Jaiswal, who smashed a 65-ball 77, could withstand the challenge of Santner’s orthodox left-arm spin.
Santner’s (7/53 and 6/104) 13 wickets in the game heralded a remarkable triumph for New Zealand, who mastered the conditions and played better cricket than India to beat Rohit Sharma’s team in their own game.
The Kiwis gave India a taste of their own medicine after putting first-innings runs on the board and squeezing the oppositions.
The target could have been much bigger had India not fought back on the third morning to snaffle the remaining five wickets for 57 runs to keep New Zealand to 255.
After losing the top and middle order, packed with greats of the game, India did not have much hopes left in the game but the pair of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin (18) did their best to delay the inevitable.
It was a pitch where batters did not have any assurances unless they had a game plan — which Jaiswal showed on the final day of the contest.
Jaiswal waged a lone battle of sorts with nine fours and three sixes but none of the famed Indian batters, including mainstays Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, could pose any challenge to the Kiwis.
From a promising 81/1 at lunch, the home team lost six wickets for 97 runs, struggling to negotiate Santner who yet again weaved his magic around the Indian batters.
Skipper Rohit, caught at short leg off bat-pad to defend as he charged down, was first to depart in the first session.
Jaiswal though took the Kiwi attack by the scruff of its neck, batting with confidence and aggression. With Shubman Gill (23 off 31) he added 62 runs for the second wicket.
The partnership broke when Gill was squared up by Santner to edge to the first slip and Jaiswal, the best of the lot by a long margin, too edged one to the first slip soon.
Superstar Kohli (17) started off with a powerful flick for a four on the backfoot. He ran hard between wickets and batted with resolve until Santner forced him on the backfoot and trapped him in front of the wickets.
Santner kept chipping away as the pitch played perfectly to his tunes, getting some deliveries to turn away from the bat while some to straighten up while pitching them all in same areas.
Jaiswal, who was beaten by one from the left-arm New Zealander before he was dismissed, could not reach to the pitch of the ball before it kissed the bat’s edge to settle in Daryl Mitchell’s hands.
India’s misery compounded with Rishabh Pant (0) getting run-out after a miscommunication with Kohli.
In a final blow to India’s resistance, Sarfaraz Khan (9) failed to read the turn of the ball which crashed onto his off-stump as he jarred his bat into the ground in defence.
Washington Sundar’s resistance lasted 47 balls for 21 and ended shortly before tea as Glenn Phillips (1/37) got his named added to the list of wicket-takers, getting the Indian all-rounder caught at short leg.
