Virat Kohli failed to fire in Pune Test© BCCI/Sportzpics
Former cricketer Madan Lal opened up on India's defeat to New Zealand in the second Test match of the series and said that Rishabh Pant's run out on Day 3 was the turning point of the game. Tom Latham's New Zealand team made history by defeating Rohit's side by 113 runs in the second Test match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Saturday, clinching their first-ever series win in India. This loss marks India's first home Test series defeat since 2012, ending an 18-series winning streak--the longest home winning sequence for any team.
New Zealand now lead the three-match Test series 2-0, with the final game set for November 1 at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium.
Speaking to ANI, Madan Lal said that Pant is the kind of batter who can turn the match around for which his dismissal was the turning point. The former cricketer added that India's batting order failed in the Pune Test.
"Rishabh Pant's run out was the turning point in the match because he is that kind of batter who can turn the match around but sometimes you misjudge and pay for your mistakes but my only point is that there was no need to prepare such a wicket because you cannot guarantee winning a toss. You know that you have to bat in the fourth innings and in the fourth innings there is a lot of wear and tear. Moreover, on a spinning track 200-250 runs also become difficult to get. So, you make good wickets and I guarantee that you would win as you have the best pace attack. You nullified both pacers and our spinners are world-class. Our batting failed completely. Out top 5 batters failed to score runs," Madan Lal told ANI.
He added that Rohit Sharma-led side doesn't have to think about the World Test Championship (WTC) final now. The 73-year-old added that India should focus on winning the third and final match of the Test series against New Zealand in Mumbai.
"You don't have to think about the World Test Championship Final. You should think about what you have in your hands. You have a Test match to play against New Zealand in Wankhede which is your third Test match. You should think about doing well in it and winning it. And you can win it by making good wickets where your batters can get chance. Your bowlers can perform too. In those wickets if pace works then we have a good pace attack also. If wickets spin then we have good spinners also. Your top orders will also excel in good wickets," he added.
In the match, New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat. Half-centuries from Devon Conway (76 off 141 balls, with 11 fours) and Rachin Ravindra (65 off 105 balls, with five fours and a six) placed New Zealand in a commanding position at 197/3, with Ravichandran Ashwin (3/41) being the only bowler to make an early impact. After Conway's dismissal, Washington Sundar (7/59) exploited the momentum, dismissing the remaining batsmen to bowl New Zealand out for 259.
India faced the task of overcoming this modest total to gain a substantial lead. However, after Rohit Sharma's dismissal for a duck, youngsters Shubman Gill (30 off 72 balls, with two fours and a six) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (30 off 60 balls, with four boundaries) could only manage a partnership of 49 runs. Similar to the first innings, Gill's dismissal opened the doors for Mitchell Santner, who wreaked havoc on the Indian lineup. Santner (7/53) and Glenn Phillips (2/26) bowled India out for just 156, with Ravindra Jadeja top-scoring with 38 off 46 balls (three fours and two sixes).
In their second innings, New Zealand capitalised on their 103-run lead. With a valuable 86 from skipper Tom Latham (133 balls, 10 fours), along with contributions from Phillips (48 off 82 balls, four boundaries, two sixes) and Tom Blundell (41 off 83 balls, three fours), the visitors set India a target of 359 runs, bowled out for 255 after impressive bowling in the first session of day three.
Sundar (4/56) led the attack, with Jadeja (3/72) and Ashwin (2/97) sweeping through the lower-middle order and tail.
Chasing 359, India started strongly with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who shared a 62-run partnership with Shubman Gill (23 off 31 balls, four boundaries). However, after Jaiswal's dismissal for 77 off 65 balls (nine fours, three sixes), India couldn't recover, succumbing to the Kiwi spinners and being bowled out for 245, resulting in a 113-run defeat. This series loss marks India's first home series defeat in 12 years.
Santner, with a remarkable 13 wickets in the match (6/104 in the second innings), emerged as the star of the game, with Phillips and Ajaz Patel chipping in to wrap up the Test two days early.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)