Team India bowled out for 156 in first innings in Pune Test. Reasons behind India's poor batting outing against New Zealand. Let's also have a look at India batter's performance over the years.
Team India’s cup of woes in the Test series against New Zealand at home seems endless. After being bundled out for 46 in the Bengaluru Test, they were bowled out for 156 in the first innings of the second Test at Pune. India had dished out a spin-friendly track in Pune, hoping both their batters and bowlers would make merry. But the ploy has backfired as Kiwi spinner Mitchell Santner came up with a seven-wicket haul to bowl out India cheaply.
Two batting collapses in two consecutive Tests by India at home are a rare occurrence. Something must be wrong somewhere for India to have succumbed to such embarrassments at home. What could be the possible reasons for this sudden downfall of India batters who have enjoyed an invincible record at home until now?
Pune Test - the biggest downfall
Stats show that the India batters’ performance in this ongoing series vs New Zealand has been the worst for over a decade. In the three innings so far in this series, India’s batters average (or runs per wicket) an embarrassing 22.13.
Have a look at the table below that shows Team India batters’ performances since 2013 in Test series.
Opponents | Year | Matches | Average | Highest Score | Lowest Score |
New Zealand | 2024-25 | 2 | 22.13 | 462 | 46 |
South Africa | 2015-16 | 4 | 26.72 | 334 | 173 |
Australia | 2016-17 | 4 | 28.13 | 603 | 105 |
England | 2020-21 | 4 | 28.38 | 365 | 145 |
Besides, India’s top-order batting collapses at home are nothing new. It has become a habit for the top-order to fail more often than not, while each time the middle-lower order has rescued them. Since January 2021, India have lost their first five wickets under 150 runs in 14 innings out of 21 home Tests.
It shows how the top-order has struggled to score runs in India. At the same time, credit must go to the middle-lower order for helping the team consistently and staving off the embarrassment often.
Read More: IND vs NZ, 2nd Test, Day 2: Santner's 7-53 pushes India into doldrums; NZ 301 ahead at stumps
Coaching staff lack knowledge about Indian pitches
Former coach Rahul Dravid had a support staff comprising mostly Indians who had first-hand knowledge about Indian pitches and conditions. However, the Gautam Gambhir-led staff mostly comprises foreigners who themselves have not enjoyed much or any success while playing in India.
For example, bowling coach Morne Morkel of South Africa, played 8 Tests in India taking just 21 wickets. Ryan ten Doeschate, the assistant coach from the Netherlands, has not had any experience of playing as a batter in India except in the IPL.
In that respect, these coaching staff members lack the experience of batting and bowling in India and perhaps are struggling to give the right input to counter the pitches and conditions on offer.
In cricket, experience matters a lot in terms of playing and coaching. And the current coaching staff do not have the right experience to provide the input to counter the pitches and conditions in India and prepare the players accordingly.
Same strategy for all formats
India are also fielding separate squads for the Tests and limited-overs matches. Hence, players playing these formats specifically have their focus set at planning their game to suit the formats. However, India players have been found wanting to adjust to the longer version of the game as they are following the aggressive brand of cricket across formats.
The shot selection by a few players in the first innings collapse in Pune shows that India are still trying to play limited-overs cricket in Tests. They’re not trying to bat time out when conditions are tough and play orthodox cricket. India adopted a T20 style of cricket in the Kanpur Test against Bangladesh. It paid off that time as Bangladesh lacked bite in their bowling unit to trouble the India batters, and the pitch and conditions were favourable for batting.
The same strategy has backfired in the Pune Test against New Zealand. Batters looked to hit out to bat out of trouble when run-scoring was difficult rather than playing according to the pitch, merit of the ball, and the conditions. They thus paid the price with their wickets. This single-minded strategy to play aggressive cricket at all conditions across formats have led to India’s downfall in the Pune Test.
The strategy to play different formats by batters and bowlers have to be set out, rather than going by one mindset of playing aggressive cricket irrespective of the conditions, opponents, and formats on offer.
India, under Gambhir, must find the right balance to play Test cricket rather than play one-dimensional cricket at all times. Else, they must be prepared to face more such embarrassments in the future.
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