India suffered a defeat by 5 wickets in the 3rd ODI against New Zealand on Tuesday in Auckland. The result meant that for the first time in 31 years, India whitewashed in a series involving three or more matches. The last time the country was whitewashed was in 1989, when India lost 5-0 against West Indies. After the defeat, skipper Virat Kohli said that his side did not deserve to win, and blamed poor fielding as one of the reasons for the same.
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Kohli said: “The games were not as bad as the scoreline suggests. Batsmen coming back from tough situations was a positive sign for us, but the way we fielded and bowled, the composure wasn’t enough to win games. Didn’t deserve to be on the winning side at all this series.”
Also read: Didn’t deserve to be on the winning side at all this series - Virat Kohli
But is fielding the real reason for India’s poor show?
According to a stat revealed by Cricviz, India had a better record in fielding than the Kiwis. As per the stat, fielding runs saved in the series, which include catches, run outs, stumping & stops and considering the difficulty of each event, India had a net positive of +4 runs over the hosts.
The result has exposed some shortcomings in the Indian squad, and the team management will surely look to work on them in the future.
{{/usCountry}}The result has exposed some shortcomings in the Indian squad, and the team management will surely look to work on them in the future.
{{/usCountry}}Also read: KL Rahul’s ton in vain as Kiwis complete series whitewash at Bay Oval
“It was a good experience for the new guys who came in. They are still finding their feet. They (New Zealand) played with lot more intensity than we did. They deservedly won 3-0. We are excited for the Test series. We now have a balanced team. We feel we can win the series, but we need to step out on the park with the right kind of mindset,” Kohl said.
India and New Zealand will now play two-match Test series, the first of which will begin next week from Thursday.