India suffered yet another batting collapse as they were bowled out for 156 against New Zealand on the second day of the second Test in Pune on Friday (October 25).
Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner was the bowling hero for the Kiwis as he took seven wickets for 53 in 19.3 overs. This is was his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
Also read: 2nd Test: Santner takes 7 wickets; India 156 all out, NZ take 103-run lead
Indian batters faltered against spin and now questions are being raised on their ability to handle the turning ball. Nine of the 10 Indian wickets fell to spin in Pune while the other dismissal went to paceman Tim Southee.
Trailing 0-1 in the three-match series, India are in a must-win situation to stay alive in the rubber and protest their proud record of not losing a Test series at home in 12 years. Since losing to England in 2012, India have won 18 Test series in a row at home.
With their batters conceding a 103-run lead to New Zealand, it is an uphill task now for the home team led by Rohit Sharma.
In the first Test in Bengaluru, India were skittled out for a paltry 46 in the first innings and in the second essay, they lost seven wickets for just 54 runs after mounting a remarkable comeback. During the opening Test, it was pace that troubled the Indian batters, and now it is spin.
After India’s performance in Pune, former New Zealand cricketer-turned-commentator Simon Doull said it is a “misconception” that the modern Indian batters are better at playing spin than anyone else.
“I think it is a misconception around the world now that these modern Indian players are better playing spin than anyone else. They are not. They are the same as everyone else around the world,” Doull said on air on Sports18.
He went on to recall the times when Indian batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Gautam Gambhir (the current Indian head coach), VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid were good against spinners.
“Gone are the days of Ganguly, Gambhir, Laxman and Dravid. Sachin was so, so good against spin, and the era before them. I think good quality spinners are just as good as getting India out on turning tracks as Indian spinners against good quality opposition batters. And the moment they see a turning track in IPL, they complain,” he added.
Comments are closed.