DTVHINDI
For the first time in 24 years, New Zealand gave India a whitewash in a Test on home soil. The hosts performed very poorly with the bat throughout the series and resulted in an embarrassing 3–0 series defeat. Senior batsmen – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli scored 91 and 93 runs respectively in six innings, raising questions over their future in the longest format.
After the game at the Wankhede Stadium, the Indian captain admitted that, he faced a very tough time with the bat and was very mediocre even as a captain. His decision to bat first in the first Test in Bengaluru backfired and the team was all out for just 46 runs in the first innings.
Rohit Sharma gave a big statement after the series defeat against New Zealand
Regarding this defeat, Rohit said that, we have been playing on these pitches for 4-5 years, but in this entire series we could not perform better with the bat. In a way, Rohit Sharma has also taken responsibility for the defeat, but at the same time he said that we did not perform well collectively and this is the reason for these defeats.
“Yes, of course, you know it is never easy to lose a series or lose a Test,” Rohit Sharma said at the post-match presentation ceremony. This is something which is not easily digestible. Again, we did not play our best cricket, we know that and we have to accept that. They (New Zealand) performed much better than us. We made a lot of mistakes and we have to admit it. We did not score enough runs in the first innings (in Bengaluru and Pune) and we fell behind in the game, here we got a lead of just 30 runs, we felt we were ahead, the target could have been achieved too, but we should have performed better. Had to do.”
He further said, “You also want runs on the board, that’s what was going on in my mind, it didn’t happen and when it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t feel good. I have certain thoughts in my mind when I go to bat, but in this series, it didn’t happen and it’s disappointing for me. Pant, Jaiswal and Gill showed how to bat on these pitches, you have to be ahead and active, we have been playing on such pitches for the last 3-4 years, we know how to play, but in this series I failed to do so and it hurt. Also, I was not at my best with the bat and as captain, this is something that will bother me, but we did not perform well collectively and that is the reason for these defeats.
