Team India made a lot of tactical mistakes in first innings against New Zealand in Bengaluru which cost them the Test match. Let's deep dive into the blunders India made.
Team India lost a rare Test at home against New Zealand in Bengaluru. The last time India lost a Test against New Zealand at home was in 1988 in Mumbai. The home team made quite a few errors, right from the toss itself. They must learn a few lessons from these mistakes and come back strongly in the series. Here are the mistakes that India made and how they could have addressed them.
Team India choose to bat first after winning the toss
India made a grave mistake of choosing to bat first after winning the toss. Knowing well that the pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium was under covers for the first day of the match due to rain and the conditions were cloudy and suitable for pace bowling, India captain Rohit Sharma chose to bat first, defying cricketing logic.
The New Zealand pacers exploited the moisture in the pitch extremely well to rout India for 46. In the press conference later in the day, Rohit admitted that he made a wrong call after winning the toss. “Sometimes you make the right call, sometimes you don't, and I was on the other side of it this time around," Rohit said. “I'm hurting a little bit because I made that call,” he added.
Selecting three spinners instead of three pacers
Throughout the match, India missed the presence of a third pacer. They chose three spinners in the XI instead of a third pacer who could have made the most of the helpful conditions on offer. New Zealand reaped the rewards of selecting three pacers who took all of India’s wickets to fall in the first innings. The Kiwi pacers also came back strongly in the second innings to trigger a collapse with the new ball.
Rohit reasoned that he chose three spinners considering the barren nature of the pitch devoid of grass. He said the flat pitch made him choose a third spinner in Kuldeep Yadav, as the Chinaman bowler has “bowled on flat pitches and he has taken wickets.” But it was “clearly a misjudgement of the pitch,” Rohit admitted.
Eventually, the selection of players made the difference between the two teams. India have to opt for a horses-for-courses policy in the future where they go by the conditions and pitch on offer rather than going by the history of Indian pitches.
Letting Tim Southee and Rachin Ravindra plunder the runs
India had their moments in the match where they could have clawed back into the game, especially in New Zealand’s first innings. The Kiwis were struggling at 233/7, having gained a lead of close to 200. India could have gone harder to wrap up the tail and restrict the lead. But they didn’t show any urgency and allowed the pair of Tim Southee and Rachin Ravindra to assault the bowling attack, especially the trio of spinners, to take the lead past 350.
When Southee joined Ravindra, the latter was batting at 42 (78) with just four boundaries in the 65th over. However, Rohit continued with his spinners against the duo, who unleashed a calculated assault on the India tweakers. The next 15 overs bowled by the three India spinners saw 102 runs being conceded until Rohit brought back Mohammed Siraj in the 81st over.
During this phase, Ravindra smashed seven fours and two sixes to reach 104* in 125 balls, taking 47 balls to score his next 62 runs against the India spinners. Southee, meanwhile, raced to a 44-ball 39 with three fours and two sixes. By the time pacers were brought in, the damage was done. Southee and Ravindra extended the stand for the eighth wicket to 137 runs and took the game away from India.
Read More: IND vs NZ, 1st Test, Day 3: Rachin's counter-attacking 134 headlines 450+ runs day; India 125 adrift
Wrong, delayed bowling changes hurt India dearly
It was this error in the bowling changes that cost them those extra runs, and the game was soon out of reach. Jasprit Bumrah was brought back only in the 82nd over, and it was too late for him to do any real damage. India missed their chances by not bringing their best bowlers to wrap up the New Zealand innings quickly.
On the other hand, New Zealand employed better tactics compared to India, bringing all their pacers to attack India’s lower order in the second innings after the new ball was taken. The result was a batting collapse from 408/3 to 462 all out in the second innings. The Kiwis dismissed the last seven India batters for 54 runs. Bringing in clever bowling changes is a lesson that Rohit must learn from the debacle in Bengaluru if India wish to make a comeback in the series.
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