Beaten badly in the first Test, India are on the backfoot to salvage the two-Test series against New Zealand. What can be done to reverse the momentum, who can India turn to in the next match which begins on Saturday － will be the questions dogging captain Virat Kohli.
The tour has gone rapidly downhill for India after the 5-0 sweep in the T20 series. In the three-match ODI rubber, New Zealand struck back with strength to whitewash Kohli’s team. Then came the 10-wicket defeat at Wellington in the first Test.
The Test defeat is the most important in the context of this tour. While the T20 wins were significant too, considering that the World Cup in this format is to be played later this year, the five-day
format was no less crucial, for several reasons.
India had their No. 1 Test ranking to live up to. Laudably, India have been in this position for 36 months consecutively, so it was not fluke or happenstance which got them to the top, rather
being consistently good over a long period of time.
However, rankings can also be misleading. Being the best side in the world should imply being the best playing anywhere, but that may not necessarily be validated by the ranking system. For instance, India had lost Test series’ in South Africa and England in 2018, yet remained No. 1.
Indeed, the biggest challenge for the Indian team has traditionally been to do well overseas. In the nine decades that the country’s played Test cricket, this has been far and few in between, so when Kohli & Co won the 2018 series (2-1) in Australia for the first-time ever, there was widespread rejoicing.
A monumental hurdle had been crossed, suggesting that India could no longer be easily thwarted on foreign shores. Beating West Indies in the Caribbean (after the World Cup last year) wasn’t seen as a major hassle. In the five-day format, the once world champions still struggle.
The ongoing series against New Zealand was even then perceived as the big test for India. In home conditions, the Kiwis have generally been extremely good and difficult to beat. However, the Indians looked up to the task this time.
The batting had depth, experience and rich form. While injury to Rohit Sharma during the ODI series was a big blow since he would have to skip the
Tests, Kohli, Pujara and Rahane were lynchpins of a formidable line-up that included Agarwal, Vihari and Pant in support.
More importantly, the bowling attack, especially in pace with Bumrah, Shami, Ishant and Umesh who had been excellent in the preceding 18 months, seemed to have the wherewithal to exploit
New Zealand conditions better than ever before.
The fact that New Zealand had been whitewashed by Australia a few weeks earlier enhanced India’s prospects further. Being beaten so badly can be demoralising for players. In New Zealand’s case, it seemed worse with batting mainstay Kane Williamson being hopelessly out of touch.
All told, though the ODI series played before the Tests had been disappointing, several things seemed to favour
India. Not to mention the great incentive of getting into an invincible position in the World Test Championship points table.
For those why may not remember, each series in this Championship is worth 120 points, irrespective of the number of Tests played. So, four Tests against Australia later this year will carry the same 120 points, as two Tests in the current series against New Zealand.
This is an anomaly of sorts, but that’s how the tournament has been devised. This gave the ongoing series between India and New Zealand a huge premium value for a win to both teams.
The home side, after being routed by Australia, needed to get started in the World Championship. India, top of the table with 360 points, would have virtually made their place in the final scheduled for mid-2021 if they could secure 60 points by winning at least one Test.
In the first match, Kohli’s team came a cropper, and by a massive margin. This was completely unexpected. Nothing worked for India. In neither innings could the batsmen put up even 200, what with major domos Kohli and Pujara failing both times. The bowling, with the exception of Ishant Sharma, was insipid and listless. Overall, the performance was terribly below par.
This has put the team under enormous pressure to win the second Test: to level the series, as well as try and secure those crucial 60 points that could swell their tally in the World Championship table beyond what rival teams can overhaul.
Easier said than done. Momentum, confidence, self-belief are vital ingredients to success in sport, and currently these are all to New Zealand’s advantage. India, frankly, would be hard-pressed to prevent another defeat.
This is where the challenge is greatest for Kohli. Not only does he have to lead from the front as a batsman, but as captain also has to exhibit high-level strategic thinking to stymie the Kiwis, and fine man-management skills to get the best out of his players.
The writer is a senior journalist who has been writing on the sport for over 40 years.
