Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar gave his reactions on India's whitewash to New Zealand in the three-match home Test series. For the first time, an Indian team has been whitewashed in a series of three or more Tests at home. New Zealand achieved this unthinkable milestone after their 25-run win in the third Test in Mumbai.
Speaking on the loss, the former batting icon fired several questions on the team. "Losing 3-0 at home is a tough pill to swallow, and it calls for introspection. Was it lack of preparation, was it poor shot selection, or was it lack of match practice?" Tendulkar wrote on X.
The Indian team was outplayed in its own game of spin as Ajaz Patel spun a web to dismantle the Indian batting line-up on helpful conditions at the Wankhede Stadium. He took a six-wicket haul in the second innings to go with a fifer in the first innings.
Ajaz has also become the most successful visiting bowler on a single ground in India as he has taken 25 wickets at the Wankhede Stadium, three more than Ian Botham had taken at the same venue. While he was taking apart the Indian batting line-up, Rishabh Pant found it easy to score against the left-arm spinner. The only positives for India from the match were a 90-run knock by Shubman Gill in the first innings and two knocks of 60 and 64 by Pant.
Sachin highlighted these two performances. "Shubman Gill showed resilience in the first innings, and Rishabh Pant was brilliant in both innings— his footwork made a challenging surface look like a different one altogether. He was simply superb.
"Full credit to New Zealand for their consistent performance throughout the series. Winning 3-0 in India is as good a result as it can get," Tendulkar said.
