{"id":15896,"date":"2020-02-24T21:30:51","date_gmt":"2020-02-24T16:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/?p=15896"},"modified":"2020-02-24T21:30:51","modified_gmt":"2020-02-24T16:00:51","slug":"went-wrong-team-india-first-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/went-wrong-team-india-first-test\/","title":{"rendered":"What went wrong for Team India in the First Test?"},"content":{"rendered":"

India has continued its poor form in the Test series straight after the clean sweep in the ODI series. <\/span>
\nThe first test of the two-match series didn\u2019t go as expected for the Indian team and they struggled in front of a brilliant New Zealand attack. <\/span>
\nOnce again the pressure was built on the Indian batsmen and they failed to bat according to the circumstances. <\/span>
\nThe tour started on a good note for the Men in Blue but it is turning out to be a disaster for the captain and the players as well.\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe Indian team is going through a rough patch and it was evident on the first day of the Test that the batting line up was not confident. <\/span>
\nTrent Boult and Tim Southee stepped up their game and grabbed some early wickets to dismantle the Indian batting line-up and with the captain knocked out early, the team was under a lot of pressure. <\/span>
\nIn the absence of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, the batting looks quite afloat and Prithvi Shaw has failed to replace Shikhar in the opening position.\u00a0<\/span>
\nThis is a \u2018test\u2019 for the Indian team as the regular players are recovering from their injuries. <\/span>
\nIshant Sharma and Mayank Agarwal were the only two factors that held the team together. <\/span>
\nJasprit Bumrah hasn\u2019t been in form and Mohammed Shami couldn\u2019t pick up quick wickets to assist the team and Ishant Sharma was the only bowler who provided constant breakthroughs.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\"IND
\nRavichandran Ashwin made a good comeback to the Indian team but it was not good enough to scalp some early wickets and was unable to destabilize some good partnerships. <\/span>
\nA lot was depending on the toss because the rain had to play a major role in deciding the fate of the pitch and the batting conditions there. <\/span>
\nIndia lost the toss and batted first on an extremely tough surface and there was not too much assistance for the Indian bowlers as the pitch had evened out after the rain.\u00a0<\/span>
\nPrithvi Shaw had some technical flaws but hopefully, he will be given another chance by the team management as the player has a lot in the bag. <\/span>
\nCaptain Kohli backed his opener and said<\/strong><\/span>, <\/span>\u201cYou don\u2019t want to be too hard on guys like Prithvi, who has played only two innings away from home. He is a natural hitter of the ball and will find ways of scoring runs and putting up more good starts much often than not.\u201d<\/span><\/i>
\nVirat Kohli has been the topic of discussion in this New Zealand series due to lack of form and some uncertain decisions he has taken. <\/span>
\nKohli was unable to sail the ship to the shore in the first Test match but Indian fans expect him to bring back his charm in the next match. <\/span>
\nHe has been silent with the bat in most of this tour and we hope he ends his rough patch as soon as possible because the team needs him more than ever at this moment.\u00a0<\/span>
\nThere were a lot of factors that affected Team India\u2019s fate in the first match and the absence of a second spinner or a fifth bowler was one of them. <\/span>
\nWhen Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah were not able to tame the New Zealand batsmen, Ravindra Jadeja could be a valuable asset at that time. <\/span>
\nJadeja wasn\u2019t picked up for the first test but the duo of Ashwin and Jadeja has been Indian team\u2019s lethal weapon in the previous test matches and this could be a time to test the duo again. <\/span>
\nApart from this, there were several reasons for India\u2019s defeat in the first test match.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Toss<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"IND
\nIndian bowling wasn\u2019t bad and the New Zealand bowlers didn\u2019t bowl any exceptional deliveries, yet the two line-ups generated different results. <\/span>
\nThe major reason for this was the weather conditions and the toss that the Indian captain lost. <\/span>
\nIndia was put to bat first, and the pitch was extremely tough for the visitors and New Zealand bowlers did all they could to get the Indian batsmen out.\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe pitch had evened out when the New Zealand batsmen came out to bat, and thy added an extra 132 runs for the first three wickets that made the whole impact on the team\u2019s performance. <\/span>
\nThose 132 runs were quite crucial and decided the fate of the match. <\/span>
\nYes, the Indian bowling could have been much better but the pitch played a big role in deciding the fate of the first test. <\/span>
\nA lot of people believe, \u2018if you win the toss, you can win the match too\u2019. <\/span>
\nAfter this match, this statement will stand right, provided the winning captain takes the right decision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Indian Batsmen failed on the NZ soil<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"IND
\nOver the years, the Indian batting line-up has depended a lot on the opening partnership and with Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal\/Rohit Sharma opening the batting, India has been successful in putting up a big score on the scoreboard. <\/span>
\nMayank Agarwal was the only batsman in the top-order that kept the team going and he had scored just 34 runs. <\/span>
\nThis failure of the top order was one of the biggest reasons for Tem India\u2019s defeat and big guns like Chiteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli couldn\u2019t put up a good score. <\/span>
\nHanuma Vihari couldn\u2019t continue his form from the practice match but still, India had some hope in the form of Ajinkya Rahane, who built a beautiful partnership with Rishabh Pant. <\/span>
\nIt all went in vain as Jinx got out for 46 and Team India was unable to put up a good score. <\/span>
\nIn the second innings, Mayank Agarwal was the only batsman who surpassed the 50-mark and Indian batsmen were off the mark yet again. <\/span>
\nIndia\u2019s batting form without the regular batsmen doesn\u2019t look good and they will have to make a comeback in the second match. <\/span><\/p>\n

Virat Kohli’s recent run \u2018off\u2019 form<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"IND
\nThe New Zealand tour hasn\u2019t been great for the Indian captain and he hasn\u2019t been able to lead the team the way he used to. <\/span>
\nAfter the first test,<\/strong> Virat was quite critical of the Indian batting and said, <\/span>\u201cAs a batting unit, we take a lot of pride in being competitive, and we were just not competitive enough. I don\u2019t think we put their bowlers under enough pressure in the first innings,\u201d Kohli confessed after the match.<\/strong>\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i>
\nVirat\u2019s scored just 2 runs in the first innings and 19 in the second. He is not a human-machine but the survival of the team depends a lot on him. <\/span>
\nThe New Zealand bowlers had the better of him throughout the tour and this was one of the reasons why India failed to threaten the opposite side like the way they used to. <\/span>
\nIndian Team has a lot to achieve and Virat Kohli needs to play a pivotal role in those achievements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tim Southee and Trent Boult undermine the Indian team<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"IND
\nThe return of Trent Boult to the New Zealand side was great news for the home fans but on the other hand, the Indians were not happy about this scenario. <\/span>
\nTim Southee turned out to be a disaster for the Indian team as he picked up four wickets in the first innings to claim his throne and Trent Boult was quite effective with four wickets in the second innings.\u00a0<\/span>
\nKylie Jamieson, the third seamer was also in-form and grabbed the wickets of greats like Chiteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli in the first innings. <\/span>
\nTim Southee continued his brilliant run as he scalped five wickets in the second innings. Trent Boult assisted him with 4 wickets to his name. The two bowlers were quite effective and the Indian batsmen failed to stand a chance against them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Indian Seam Attack: Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Nimrah not at par with NZ bowling<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"IND
\nIshant Sharma was the only bowler who bowled a great spell and grabbed the wickets of some distinct players. Without him, the Indian seam attack failed miserably and Jsprit Bumrah and Mahommed Shami together grabbed just two wickets. <\/span>
\nJasprit Bumrah has been out of form since his return to the team after a 3-month injury spell while Mohammed Shami was an easy target for the New Zealand batsmen.\u00a0<\/span>
\nIf India were to win the test match, the bowling needs to be at par with the opponent\u2019s bowlers. Ishant Sharma was the only factor that dragged the team but Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami failed to impress. <\/span>
\nThe absence of a fifth bowler was also a major factor and Virat Kohli will have to look at a possible way to play Ravindra Jadeja and substitute at least one of the seamers with another seamer.<\/span>
\nTrending on Kyrosports<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n