What a series this has been. Incredible. Stunning Perhaps even a tad bit surprising and not to forget sad from an Indian cricket fans’ point of view. We expected the BlackCaps to definitely give us a close fight but to beat us 2-1 at home here in India surely stings. Not that they haven’t beaten India in India before; back in 2024, a Tom Latham-led side that didn’t even have Kane Williamson whitewashed India in the red ball format, the prime format of the sport.
Not that this time around there was Kane Williamson. Not that he was needed, as one found out even if that doesn’t undermine the fact that he was not missed by the cricket purest.
But clearly from a New Zealand point of view, the 2-1 series win garnered by a Bracewell-led unit beckons deeper regard for the visitors than comes their way. They’re a team that has been anything but legendary or even experienced. How so? 8 of those who were part of the India visiting squad hadn’t ever played in the country or against its team up to this point. And yet, the winner’s name has New Zealand tied to it, not that of the hosts, India.
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An almost full strength Indian team has been sidelined and made to look utterly average, highly basic thanks to an exceptional and balanced team play shown by an inexperienced BlackCaps team. If the pitch didn’t have grip, experts are already saying, then there was merit in staying put at the wicket. But that India’s middle order failed to fire when it most mattered barring a late rearguard action by Nitish Kumar Reddy and King Kohli’s sensational century, the entire team was in the doldrums. They simply weren’t good.
Make no mistake about the fact that chasing 338 was never going to be enough especially when Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips fired away significantly beautiful centuries. But then despite having a powerful line up that featured none other than Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill up top and KL Rahul and Ravi Jadeja down the order, the hosts were ghosted by the sight of a series win.
And for the first time ever, New Zealand aced a one day series win on India’s turf making Team India appear like a bunch of incompetent players that despite holding the home advantage were dealt a raw deal.
Their charisma, confidence and spark to fire away as one singular collective starred as their biggest strength. The BlackCaps can be undermined by can’t be denied what’s theirs and what was, as seen at Indore in MP on this occasion, was the centre focus of what’s been a glorious tour for the idyllic peace loving country: utter competitiveness and success in the end. The new year has begun so well for New Zealand. Maybe not so much for us India.
