Back to their dominating best in the second Test, Virat Kohli’s men handed New Zealand their biggest loss in terms of runs to clinch the series 1-0 and dethrone the world champions at the top of the ICC Test rankings. With five wickets needed on Day 4 at the Wankhede Stadium, India ran through the New Zealand lower-order and wrapped up the game within 43 minutes into the morning. The victory margin of 372 runs is India’s biggest in terms of runs.
While savouring the triumph, Kohli and coach Rahul Dravid would happily count the gains from the two-Test series.
Several performances stood out, none better than Mayank Agarwal’s batting in both innings in Mumbai. To pip Ajaz Patel, who took all 10 wickets in an innings and finished with a match haul of 14 wickets, for the Player-of-the-Match award underlines the value attached to the effort. Agarwal’s 150 and 62 were both high quality innings.
Batting on a Wankhede track when the red soil is aiding spin with bounce and quick turn, tests the best. Agarwal gave a masterful exhibition of skill and game plan to accumulate runs. Such knocks are highly satisfying. It brought back memories of the 2012 Test against England. Kevin Pietersen had treated the Mumbai crowd to a batting exhibition with an electric 186 when the ball was turning square. In that game, Cheteshwar Pujara had scored a masterful 135.
Agarwal’s return to form will mean a lot to the Indian team management, as his career had nosedived. A sincere, hardworking player, he toiled to get an India break on the 2018-19 Australia tour. He looked solid in his debut series with scores of 76, 42 and 77. For a focused cricketer, it was strange that when he returned to Australia last year, the runs dried up against the same bowling attack.
{{/usCountry}}Agarwal’s return to form will mean a lot to the Indian team management, as his career had nosedived. A sincere, hardworking player, he toiled to get an India break on the 2018-19 Australia tour. He looked solid in his debut series with scores of 76, 42 and 77. For a focused cricketer, it was strange that when he returned to Australia last year, the runs dried up against the same bowling attack.
{{/usCountry}}After four straight failures (17 & 9, 0 & 5), he lost his place as opener. It looked like he was complicating his game while striving to get better. He was trying out all sorts of trigger movements (the initial movement). The best players look to keep it simple. That was the difference in Agarwal’s game in this game.
Agarwal comeback
Kohli will be delighted to have an Agarwal who has regained form and confidence as he himself experienced how tough it was to play on the Wankhede track. With Ajaz Patel turning the ball so much and giving it air to extract bounce, Kohli, Pujara and Kanpur Test centurion Shreyas Iyer all struggled.
For Agarwal, it was a career-saving innings. Relegated as opener following the success of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Subman Gill, he was in danger of losing his spot. South Africa have an incisive pace attack, but Agarwal will breathe down the neck of the first-choice openers.
“(It was) great application from him. To play at this level for such a long time, you need to have a lot of character, and he has plenty of that. He has always played at a high level. It’s not just about riding the wave and playing on, it’s about evolution and he has constantly done that. Also, a performance like this will build character and help him going forward, not only as a batsman but also as a person. He’s definitely an asset,” Kohli said about Agarwal.
Bench strength
The remarkable aspect of India’s 2020-21 series win in Australia was the showcasing of their bench strength. The cricket world marvelled at the options India had after injuries ruled out half the first-choice players and Kohli had returned home for the birth of his first child.
After the low of the T20 World Cup, India will be buoyed by Shreyas Iyer’s rise as a Test middle-order option. Iyer’s century and half-century on debut at Kanpur was special because it came with his team under pressure. During his 105 and 65, he showed he can handle pressure of the highest level.
“To play Test cricket you need passion and intent. Indian cricket is in safe hands when you have so many people who have that. People are hungry to play Tests well. It’s nice to see youngsters want to feel what it is to play Tests. That’s how they understand why it’s called the toughest, most respectful format. They want to do well in India and outside. That attitude is what is going to help us do better going ahead,” said Kohli.
The second Test also saw Axar Patel emerge as an all-rounder. With Ravindra Jadeja a dynamic player be it left-arm spin, batting or fielding, it is a wrong era if one is competing for that spot. Axar faces that challenge. He has been bowling impressively though, taking a five-wicket haul in Kanpur. In Mumbai, he proved his batting ability. In the first innings, he scored his first half-century when the team needed runs from the lower order. He backed it with a quickfire 41* in the second as India pushed to declare the innings.
Kohli said the next challenge for the Gujarat player will be to maintain fitness levels. “Axar is very good all-round cricketer. His skill sets are something that provides balance to any team. That’s why he’s doing so well in all formats. He’s adapting his game to the needs of the format. If he can keep his fitness levels up, work on his game, he has the potential to play for a long time.”
In a game where fast bowlers played second fiddle to spinners, one pacer stood out—Mohammed Siraj. With New Zealand channelling their energy on dealing with spin, Siraj ambushed them early in the first innings by knocking out the top three. It was an important performance for Siraj after an average showing against England.
“Siraj has come a long way. The way he bowls and puts effort, you think he’s going to pick up wickets always. That’s a special thing to have when the pitches are tough and wickets are not falling… he can bowl three-four tight overs and do something for us. He doesn’t really bank on conditions; he has a lot of skill and he banks on that instead. He can make important breakthroughs. Even at Lord’s, when the ball stopped swinging, he was making the ball move and gave us some crucial breakthroughs. He’s in the best headspace as a bowler,” said Kohli.
'Keeping choices
The biggest challenge is for ‘keeper Wriddhiman Saha. It’s a tribute to his fitness that at 37, he stays relevant at the highest level. Battling a neck sprain, he came out in the second innings at Kanpur and scored a crucial 61* to bail out India from 103/6. At Wankhede, he again proved his utility with knocks of 27 and 13. The competition for the ‘keeper’s spot is intense. After his heroic efforts in Australia, Rishabh Pant is first-choice but KS Bharat has emerged as a candidate. Saha though has proved his skills haven’t diminished with age.
“It's a good (selection) headache to have, seeing young boys perform well. There's a great desire to do well and everyone's pushing each other. I hope we have more headaches, as long as we have clear communication and explain to the players. We don’t see it to be a problem,” Dravid said.