Dropped chances, defensive fields and more; here's why India couldn't nail it in Wellington

New Delhi: India squandered the early advantage for the umpteenth time and slipped to yet another series defeat away from home here on Tuesday. Buoyed by a remarkable rearguard act from captain Brendon McCullum and valuable tons from wicketkeeper Watling and debutant Jimmy Neesham, New Zealand finished their first essay at a mammoth 680/8, thereby closing out any chances of an equally dramatic resurgence from a dazed India. 

 

McCullum led the way with a memorable 302- the highest score by a New Zealander- as India caved in with eerie familiarity. While Kiwi batsmen deserve all the applause, it must be noted that toothless Indian bowling did its bit in ensuring India fritter away the early advantage. 

 

India had the Kiwis on the mat at 94/5, and just when a comfortable victory appeared imminent, Team India conspired to falter collectively. Catches went down, field placements turned defensive, and shoulders began to drop at the slightest semblance of resurgence from the Black Caps. 

 

We take a look at some of the key reasons for India’s failure to win the Test:  

Skipper Ms Dhoni presented a stark contrast to his Kiwi counterpart for most of Wellington Test. While one led from the front, never one believed he would lose, and eventually prevailed, the other appeared thoroughly confused. 

Despite securing a healthy 246-run lead and having New Zealand reeling at 94/5, Dhoni, quite inexplicably, returned to defensive field, providing enough easy singles to McCullum and Watling. The kind of placements Dhoni deployed would have worked on Indian pitches, but in Basin Reserve, where the wicket always had something for the bowlers, he ought to have attacked more.   

Dropped chances

 

Taking nothing away from McCullum’s monumental essay, he did offer a couple of opportunities early on, which, if taken, would have yielded a diametrically opposite result for Team India. 

 

One of India’s safest fielders, Virat Kohli, dropped the Kiwi skipper when the latter had scored just 9 runs. Later, Ishant dropped McCullum off his own bowling. If the old adage of ‘catches win matches’ needed endorsement, India ought to be its last choice. 

   

Ishant Sharma, again!

 

Ishant Sharma did a quick u-turn from villain to hero with his first winnings exploits, but returned to his usual self in the very next innings. As a bowler with a fiver under his belt, he ought to have approached the batsmen with a certain degree of confidence, but either that assurance was totally missing, or it was submerged and eventually stifled by the now-famous Kiwi rearguard. 

 

Ishant followed up his career best 51/6 with a wicketless and toothless bowling performance that lasted 45 overs that included six no-balls, 145 runs, and a dropped chance off his own bowling. 

 

To top it all, he ended up being heard on stump microphone mouthing unmentionables to Zaheer Khan. 

   

Partners in crime

 

Not just Ishant, the Indian bowling failed collectively in the second innings of the Wellington Test. Old warhorse Zaheer Khan sent down 51 overs, and though he ended up picking a fiver, he conceded 170 runs in what could be termed a costly bargain. This was Zaheer’s worst five-wicket haul. 

Mohammed Shami was not far behind either; he conceded 149 runs in 43 overs. 

 

Team’s lone spinner Ravindra Jadeja was a disappointment too. The left arm spinner bowled 52 overs for his solitary wicket, and gave away 115 runs.