India captain Rohit Sharma reflects on the team’s first home series loss since 2012, blaming the lack of runs in the first innings for their defeat against New Zealand in Pune.
Rohit Sharma Reflects on India’s Defeat in Pune Test
After a tough 113-run defeat to New Zealand in the second Test in Pune, Indian captain Rohit Sharma openly acknowledged the team’s batting shortcomings.
“I didn’t think we batted well enough to get runs on the board,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation. “Of course, if you want to win Test matches, you’ve got to take 20 wickets, yes, but batters have got to put runs on the board as well.
“We didn’t put enough runs on the board in the first innings, and then we were behind in the game – 100 [103] runs lead to New Zealand, and then from there, obviously it was a great fightback from us to restrict them to 250-odd [255, in the second innings], but then again we knew it was going to be a little challenging, but we gave it our all.
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“We came out thinking that we can chase that target, but again, the continuous pressure from both [ends] meant that we were not able to respond to those challenges.”
This failure ultimately placed India under constant pressure for the rest of the match.
Mitchell Santner was the star for New Zealand, taking a remarkable 7 for 53 in India’s first innings and adding 6 for 104 in the second innings.
With India bowled out for 156, they conceded a 103-run lead, setting up New Zealand with a commanding position.
Despite India’s initial resistance and a quick 77 by Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second innings, the team fell short, chasing a challenging target of 359.
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Rohit defended his bowlers, stating they had limited New Zealand to a respectable 259 after the visitors reached 197 for 3.
“No, not really [too many runs],” he said. “To be honest, when they started off, they were 200-odd [197] for 3, and then for us to come back and get them bowled out for 259 was a great effort. But again, I thought it wasn’t a pitch where a lot was happening. We just didn’t bat well enough. Had we gotten closer to that score of first innings, things would have been slightly different, but again, New Zealand played better.”
The Challenge Ahead in Mumbai Test
Down 2-0, India now faces the pressure of avoiding a whitewash as they head to Mumbai for the third Test.
Rohit assured fans that India would approach the match with renewed intent and ideas.
“We want to show up well at Wankhede and try and win that Test match,” he said. “Not thinking too far ahead. It’s important that we focus on our next game, what better we can do as a unit because it’s a collective failure. I’m not somebody who would just blame the batters or the bowlers. It’s the team that has failed to accept the challenge that was thrown at us, it’s as simple [as that]. We will come out with better intent, better ideas, and better methods at Wankhede.”
With the upcoming series in Australia and their position in the World Test Championship at stake, India’s focus will be on ending the series on a positive note.
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