Team India skipper Virat Kohli rued poor batting effort behind their 2-0 drubbing in the Test series against New Zealand. The batters once again failed to back the good effort put in by the bowlers as they went down by seven wickets at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. This is India's first clean sweep in the Test series after a long time.
The home side completely outplayed India both technically and mentally. They needed a lot to do to come back after the whitewash in the three-match ODIs but New Zealand gave not an inch to the visitors. Although the bowlers brought some respite on day two in Christchurch securing a seven-run lead but the batsmen let things go from their hands.
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It has been an awful series for the batters and it ended worse. India were struggling at 90 for six on day two and could add only 34 more runs before Tim Southee and Trent Boult ran down India's batting. India looked desperate to hit their way out of trouble, with Hanuma Vihari and Rishabh Pant trying to go hard. But with the ball moving about sharply, and New Zealand's bowlers consistently nailing their mark, it was never an option. India finally folded for 124 runs setting up a target of 131 runs with Boult and Southee sharing seven wickets between them.
New Zealand looked on course from the onset with Tom Latham and Tom Blundell adding 103 runs for the first wicket. Jasprit Bumrah managed to make some inroads picking a couple of New Zealand wickets but by that time were only 11 runs away which Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls gave them.
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Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Virat Kohli blamed the batters for not standing up to the task. He also stated that it is disappointing to see the batsmen not backing the bowlers. Kohli himself had a tour to forget with only one fifty from the 11 innings he batted and is one of the worst tours since the India skipper made his international debut.
I think it was a matter of not having enough intent in the first game. We played well in the first innings here with the bat. It was a combination of us not having the right kind of execution and New Zealand playing well. Batsmen didn’t do enough for the bowlers to attack. It’s disappointing as a side when the batsmen don’t back up the effort of the bowlers,” said Virat Kohli.
Next up, India play South Africa in a three-match ODI series before they gear up for the Indian Premier League which commences from March 29.