First Test Vs Kiwis: After Flying High, A Hard Landing For Team India

Nasty Surprise For Fans In Bangalore

Team India never fails to deliver the occasional nasty surprise. After the Bangladesh series, which was a show of raw dominance, it was meek capitulation before the New Zealanders. In the first inning its batting collapsed in a heap. A total of 46, the lowest score in India for the team, is not what you expect from a combination of fighters. In 2020, there was a similar surprise in Adelaide, Australia, where the team was bowled out for a paltry 36. But it struck back valiantly to win the series 2-1. This match is not over yet, and neither is the series. So let’s keep fingers crossed. Team India is certainly much better than what the scorecard suggests.

T-20 Hangover Still Heavy For Team India?

Twenty-20 cricket has, no doubt, made the wheels of evolution run faster in the game of cricket. It has brought more adventure and innovation into the game and more intent to see results. But is it coming at the cost of discretion, particularly in Test cricket? Shot selection from Indian batters was not exactly judicious in the first inning. And, the patience to hang on and wear out the bowlers or till the initial fizz is in the opposition’s bowling is gone appears to be missing. Against Bangladesh, the team scored 285 in just below 35 overs in one inning, here they managed 46 in 31.2 overs. Surely, something is odd. Of course, the quality of bowling is a big factor. The combo of Tim Southee, Matter Henry and Will O’Rourke is far more lethal than the entire Bangladesh attack. But that is exactly where discretion should have come in. But tuned to the aggressive mindset of T-20 cricket, the batters just failed to cope to the new circumstances. Hope they make corrections in the second inning.

A Good Kick To The Backside At The Right Time

When batting collapses like this happens for good teams, it’s usually due to a mix of reasons like great bowling, poor batting and, most importantly, wrong reading of the nature of the pitch. Skipper Rohit Sharma admitted to misjudgment of the pitch in his interaction with reporters. He said there was little grass on the pitch and he expected a flatter batting track. Not much movement was expected. New Zealand bowler Matt Henry said something similar, adding it was a good toss to loose. Whatever the case, it’s a good kick on the backside for Team India. They must make adjustments in their batting when pitches turn out to be deceptive. With the big series against Australia coming up next month, it was timely.

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