India's unbeaten run in Tests at home came to an end after they lost the second match against New Zealand in Pune on Saturday. The Kiwis took just three days to register a dominant 113-run win in the Pune Test and to claim their first Test series win in India in 69 years.
India's last Test series loss at home came against England in December 2012 under MS Dhoni's captaincy. India dominated home Tests under Virat Kohli's leadership but New Zealand breached the home fortress after 4332 days.
Tom Latham-led New Zealand side stumbled to just 255 in their second innings with Washington Sundar taking four wickets and Ravindra Jadeja claiming three. India lost Rohit Sharma early in a 359-run chase but Yashasvi Jaiswal kept India alive by scoring quick 77 runs off 65 balls.
Mitchell Santner emerged as a hero with Yashasvi Jaiswal's wicket in the 22nd over and then the hosts witnessed an embarrassing collapse at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Day 3. Santer picked six big wickets to walk out with 13 wickets across two innings in the Pune Test.
Virat Kohli fell on 17 runs off 40 balls after a promising start to his innings. Rishabh Pant was dismissed on a duck while Sarfaraz Khan scored just nine runs. Ravindra Jadeja showed some fighting spirit and scored 42 runs off 84 balls.
India previously lost only two Test games against New Zealand at home but now two defeats in a series raises questions about their preparations for the upcoming Border-Gavakar 2024-25 Trophy. India's batting performance in this series also raises some concerns as the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggle for consistency.
Washington Sundar's 11 wickets across two innings was the only positive talking for the hosts. Sundar also displayed his batting skills by scoring unbeaten 18 runs in the first innings and has been selected in India's squad for the five-match Test series against Australia.
