There has been a lot of criticism coming India's way after their defeat to New Zealand in the World Test Championship final. The Indian players looked off-colour in the all-important match at the Ageas Bowl, and in the two innings, none of the Indian batsmen managed to score a fifty with Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli and others failing to steady the Indian innings when asked to bat.
The bowlers rescued India with an impressive performance in the first innings but failed to trouble the Kiwi batsmen in the second. New Zealand had played a two-match Test series against England right before the WTC final and it reflected in their performance. So where did India lack in the WTC final in Southampton?
Former Australia batsman Michael Bevan has listed some of the reasons behind Team India's lacklustre performance against New Zealand at the Ageas Bowl. The first reason Bevan listed out was that India were 'short of match practice in English conditions.' They had played only an intra-squad practice match before the final.
The second reason, which Bevan explained, were the conditions at the Ageas Bowl, which suited Kiwi swing bowlers more than Indian bowlers. And the third reason behind India's defeat was the situation on the last day of the match where Virat Kohli and Co. could only draw or lose the game.
{{/usCountry}}The second reason, which Bevan explained, were the conditions at the Ageas Bowl, which suited Kiwi swing bowlers more than Indian bowlers. And the third reason behind India's defeat was the situation on the last day of the match where Virat Kohli and Co. could only draw or lose the game.
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Meanwhile, former India pacer and 1983 World Cup winner Madan Lal said that the WTC final could have ended in a draw if the Indian batters had spent some more time in the middle on the reserve day. "Our problem away from home has always been that if you don't make runs, it becomes very difficult to win matches," Lal told Aaj Tak.
"Today the disappointment is that we were all thinking that the match could be drawn. But none of the batsmen showed the temperament for that and if they stayed there for one or two hours more, this match could have been a draw."