Pat Cummins must have enjoyed a good laugh at his mansion near Bronte Beach in Sydney.
Never in his wildest dreams had the Australian captain imagined that New Zealand’s unfancied band would do the unthinkable — break India’s undefeated record at home spanning across 18 series in 12 years.
The unheralded Mitchell Santner followed his seven-wicket haul in the first innings with a six-for in the second besides a game-changing run out to complete a 113-
run rout in Pune on Saturday. The 359-run target was steep and India were left with some uncomfortable questions following the end of their home domination.
As Santner exposed the Indians’ vulnerability against spin, former New Zealand pacer-turned-commentator Simon Doull revealed the truth under wraps.
“There is a misconception that Indians are good at playing spin... Gone are the days of Sachin, Ganguly or Dravid. Now, they are the same as everyone else. As soon as a good spinner comes in, they are in trouble,” Doull’s unfiltered vibes won’t go down well with India’s star batters.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s record against spin has been dismal. Since 2021, Kohli has been dismissed by spinners on 25 occasions in 52 innings while Rohit has fallen prey 24 times in 56 innings.
Except for Yashasvi Jaiswal, India’s top-order has been a sordid tale of failures and hype. Rohit has only one half-century in his last eight innings since the Dharmsala Test in March. Kohli has gone without a hundred in 12 innings. Shubman Gill has been a failure against Bangladesh and now, New Zealand.
The way Kohli missed a full toss which rattled his middle stump in the first innings even shocked Santner. On Saturday, he forced Kohli to play back to a fullish delivery to trap him leg before. Sarfaraz Khan fell victim to a gem, a slow teasing ball which turned and hit off stump.
Where does that put India going into the five-match series in Australia? While India’s record against spin and swing has been grim, they have fared well on the hard and bouncy wickets Down Under.
In seaming conditions, Matt Henry broke through the backbone of India’s batting in Bengaluru to provide the perfect start to the series.
The debate over whether this team is in transition will continue. Are some of the veterans past their prime? Rohit is 37 and Kohli will be 36 next month. The fissures are already visible though flickers of brilliance can’t be ruled out.
Ajit Agarkar’s selection committee and head coach Gautam Gambhir will face an enormous task in charting the course of action after the completion of the current World Test Championship cycle.
The winning streak had to end some day, as Rohit put it, but what will haunt them is that their home dominance wasn’t broken by Australia or England but by Tom Latham’s New Zealand.
Not long back it was assumed that the powerhouse in world cricket was confined to the Big Three — India, Australia and England. Pakistan’s series win at home against England, Sri Lanka’s recent resurgence under head coach Sanath Jayasuriya and South Africa’s consistency will open up the WTC table making it a neck-and-neck affair where any slip-ups could be disastrous.
India need four wins from six remaining Tests to seal a WTC final spot, not an easy proposition by any yardstick. They will yearn for a victory in Mumbai next week.
New Zealand’s victory is sure to revive Cummins’ hopes of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as he sits down to formulate strategies to unravel India’s batting prowess. The golden era has shown signs of crumble putting the team’s identity under severe test. The Australians would be keen to pounce on the opportunity.
