Pune: Skipper Rohit Sharma backed Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja’s performance following India’s defeat in the second Test match against New Zealand and said that there’s too much expectation on the two all-rounders.
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 at the post-match press conference, Rohit said in every game Ashwin and Jadeja are expected to take wickets. He added that everyone in the team was responsible for the defeat and not just two players.
“There’s too much expectation on those two guys. Every game they play, they are expected to take wickets, run through the (opposition) team and win Test matches for us. I don’t think that is fair. It’s the responsibility of all of us to make sure that we get the Test wins, not just the two guys. Of course, by their standards, they know where they stand and what they haven’t been able to do or what they have done really well,” Rohit said.
The India skipper added that both Ashwin and Jadeja are allowed to have some bad games.
“I’m not going to look into too much, especially with those two guys. They know exactly what happens and sometimes they are allowed to have some bad games here and there and not go by that expectation that ‘okay, this is the opportunity for me to take wickets and run through the opposition’. That’s not going to happen every time,” he added.
Both Ashwin and Jadeja displayed an average performance in the Pune Test. Ashwin bagged five wickets and scored 22 runs while batting. Jadeja picked three wickets and scored 80 runs in the second Test match against the Kiwis.
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.