Australian quick Josh Hazlewood expressed that India’s rare series whitewash at home to New Zealand could “awaken a sleeping giant” as they prepare to take on the ICC World Test Championship table-toppers in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from November 22 onwards. Indian team slid down to number two as the spin duo of Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips spun New Zealand to a 25-run win over India in the third Test at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, handing the hosts their first-ever series whitewash at home in a Test series of three or more matches. Speaking to Sydney Morning Herald, Hazlewood said, “It might awaken a sleeping giant, so to speak. We will see that when they come out.”
“It is obviously better them losing 3-0 than winning 3-0, easily. The confidence might have taken a bit of a hit. A lot of them have been out here (in Australia), but there is a few batters who have not, so they will be a bit unsure of what to expect. I do not think you can read too much into it. The results are obviously good for us in a way.”
“Credit to the Kiwi boys. They played outstanding cricket. To win 3-0 in India is unbelievable. It’s hard enough to win one game there, let alone every match of the series,” he concluded.
The entire series was full of collapses for Team India. While in the first Test at Bengaluru, India was skittled out for just 46 runs after electing to bat first on a pace friendly wicket in overcast conditions and in the next innings, they faced another batting collapse just after getting a lead, giving NZ a target of just 107 runs.
In the second Test, India did bundle out Kiwis for 259 in the first innings, but themselves faced another poor batting outing to be all out for 156 runs. Later, while chasing 359 runs, Indian stars dissappointed once again, skittling out for 245 runs after being 127/2 at one point.
In the third and final Test in Mumbai, it was another low-scoring affair and India was presented it with perhaps its easiest chase of the series: 147 runs. However, except for a fighting fifty from Rishabh Pant, the Indian batting fell like a pack of cards and was bundled out for 121 runs.
The trauma of losing a Test series by a whitewash at home, sliding down to second place in WTC table could very well fire up Indian team for being at their best during the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
The most awaited Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia will begin on November 22, with the first Test at Perth.
The second Test, scheduled for December 6 to 10 at Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under the stadium’s lights. After that, fans will turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test, which will be held from December 14 to 18.
The customary Boxing Day Test, set for December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, will bring the series to its penultimate stage.
The fifth and final Test, to take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, will serve as the series climax, promising a dramatic conclusion to an exciting contest.
India’s squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.
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