Rock bottom: India suffer first 0-3 home whitewash
The defeat could also deliver a crushing blow to India’s hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship final for the third time in a row
New Zealand handed India their first rout in a three-Test series at home on Sunday after completing a thrilling 25-run victory in the spinner-dominated final match at the Wankhede Stadium.
Set a fourth-innings target of 147, India suffered another top-order batting collapse before being dismissed for 121 to endure one of the lowest points in their 92-year history of playing Tests at home.
Rishabh Pant’s defiant 57-ball 64 kept alive Indian hopes of a consolation win after batting collapses had led to defeats in the first two Tests in Bengaluru and Pune. But the Indian wicketkeeper’s dismissal with 41 runs still to get saw the innings fold in 29.1 overs on the third afternoon of the match.
Ajaz Patel, New Zealand’s Mumbai-born left-arm spinner, was the bowling hero as he captured 6/57 to finish with a brilliant match haul of 11/160 at a venue where he had become only the third bowler in Test history to take all 10 wickets in an innings on the previous tour in 2021.
The last time India lost all Tests in a home series was the 2-0 defeat by a formidable South Africa in 2000. They have also lost three Tests in a home series before – thrice to West Indies (1958-59, 1974-75 and 1983-84) and once each to Australia (1969-70) and England (1976-77) – but those were in longer series, and not whitewashes, and happened much before India’s rise as a formidable force in Test cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar led the praise for the Kiwis. “For any visiting team, to win a Test series in India is a dream, and New Zealand have played really well to make it happen. Such results can only be achieved with good, all-round team efforts. Special mention to Santner for his standout performance, picking up 13 wickets. Congratulations to New Zealand on this phenomenal achievement,” he posted on X.
The defeat could also deliver a crushing blow to India’s hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship final for the third time in a row. Currently second on the table, only an unlikely 4-0 win for India in the five-Test series in Australia starting on November 22 will ensure a spot in the final. Even one loss will make qualification dependent on other results with Australia, the current table toppers, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka all in the race.
