Sachin Tendulkar questioned if India's 0–3 home defeat was due to a lack of match practice or a bad shot selection.
Legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar has urged "introspection" after India lost by 25 runs in the series finale and was thrashed 0–3 by New Zealand in Mumbai on Sunday. For the first time, India lost a Test series (at least three games) handily at home, therefore ending their chances of reaching the World Test Championship final.On Sunday, the third day of the series finale at the Wankhede Stadium, India was predicted to finish with a consolation victory after establishing a goal of 147 runs. However, India's dismal batting record throughout the series was summed up by yet another top-order collapse, this time against the spinners.
Within the first fifty deliveries, India was down five for just 29 runs, and an hour after lunch, the rest of the lineup fell apart.
Sachin took to social media to ask whether India's 0–3 home loss was due to a lack of match practice or a shoddy shot selection.
"Losing 3-0 at home is a difficult pill to swallow and requires introspection," he tweeted. Was it a lack of practice for the match, a lack of preparedness, or a bad shot choice?
Despite having a wealth of batting records against New Zealand throughout his illustrious career, the former captain of India did not forget to give special recognition to Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill, who were India's bright spots in an otherwise lackluster batting display against the Kiwis.
Gill had kept India in the game with a heroic 90 off 146 in the first innings on the vengeful Wankhede pitch, and Pant had kept the battle going with his 57-ball 64 in the second innings. With three fifties and 261 runs in six innings, the latter was really India's best batter in the series.
"In the first innings, @ShubmanGill shown tenacity, and in both innings, @RishabhPant17 was outstanding—his footwork transformed a difficult surface into something completely different. Tendulkar, who made 24 appearances against New Zealand and amassed 1595 runs—the second-highest total by an Indian batsman after Rahul Dravid (1659)—said, "He was simply superb." 753 of those runs were scored in 13 home games between 1995 and 2012, when India defeated the Kiwis in four of the five Test series and drew one. Not to be forgotten, during India's 1-0 series victory in New Zealand, Sachin was their main batsman, scoring 344 runs in three games.
The seasoned Indian batsman also gave New Zealand credit for their historic victory in the Test series. In fact, the 3-0 triumph was the first time they had ever won three consecutive away Test matches and the first time they had ever won three Tests in a single series, whether at home or away.
"New Zealand deserves all the praise for their steady play during the series. The best outcome possible is a 3-0 victory in India, he continued.
"In the first innings, @ShubmanGill shown tenacity, and in both innings, @RishabhPant17 was outstanding—his footwork transformed a difficult surface into something completely different. Tendulkar, who made 24 appearances against New Zealand and amassed 1595 runs—the second-highest total by an Indian batsman after Rahul Dravid (1659)—said, "He was simply superb." 753 of those runs were scored in 13 home games between 1995 and 2012, when India defeated the Kiwis in four of the five Test series and drew one. Not to be forgotten, during India's 1-0 series victory in New Zealand, Sachin was their main batsman, scoring 344 runs in three games.
The seasoned Indian batsman also gave New Zealand credit for their historic victory in the Test series. In fact, the 3-0 triumph was the first time they had ever won three consecutive away Test matches and the first time they had ever won three Tests in a single series, whether at home or away.
"New Zealand deserves all the praise for their steady play during the series. The best outcome possible is a 3-0 victory in India, he continued.
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