The humiliating 0-3 whitewash of the Indian test team in their own turf by New Zealand has been a wake-up call for the cricket establishment. The famed Men in Blue looked disoriented and wanting against the accuracy and discipline of the Kiwis. Under first time captain Tom Latham the Kiwis looked unflappable as they executed their gameplan in the three Test series. With the Border Gavaskar trophy series coming up in Australia this month, the India team has to regroup swiftly. Serious questions are being asked on the efficacy of senior cricketers such as skipper Rohit Sharma and ace batsman Virat Kohli. The Indian bowling attack still looked somewhat sharp but it was the batters who really let down the side apart from a few individual performances. Despite Indian cricketers’ famed ability to play spin, they appeared clueless against the dual Kiwi spin attack of Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel.
With just a few days left for the series Down Under, it is back to the drawing board for the BCCI. The team for the Australia series having already been announced, now it is for the team management to make the best of what they have. Gautam Gambhir has come up short in his first serious test as coach of the Indian team. It is a tough road ahead for him in Australia. Though some of the players have sufficient experience of playing conditions there, for some members of the team it will be a totally new experience. The drubbing by New Zealand has come as a rude shock for a team which has been on a high for some time now. Now Rohit Sharma and his men have to prove themselves all over again.
