India were completely outplayed by New Zealand in the recently concluded Test series as the Rohit Sharma-led side suffered a 0-3 whitewash on Sunday. The Indian batters faced tremendous criticism from fans as well as experts with their struggles against spin bowling becoming a major point of discussion. With India taking on Australia in the upcoming five-match Test series, social media users believe that Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane should make their comeback to the national side. Both Pujara and Rahane have enjoyed a good run of form in Australia and many fans believe that they can provide the much-needed solidity to the struggling Indian batting line-up.
We missed you both Pujara and Rahane
Bring back the duo of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy#INDvsNZ #INDvsNZTEST #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/OAxP9AvUZc
— Pike (@Pike0545) November 4, 2024
India’s former cricketers fell into stunned silence in the immediate aftermath of the unmitigated disaster against New Zealand here on Sunday. But once they have gathered their thoughts, they pulled no punches while reviewing the team’s debacle.
Pujara last 20 Innings before getting dropped :
602 Runs
Average 33.4
4 Fifties
1 HundredRohit Sharma Last 20 Innings :
550 Runs
Average 28.9
2 Fifty
2 hundredRahane last 20 innings :
808 Runs
Average 42.5
9 Fifties
1 hundredVirat Kohli last 20 Innings
823 Runs…
— Rohit (@Iam_Rohit_G) November 3, 2024
The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh called for “introspection”, urged the team management to stop “needless experimentation” in the Test format and start playing on better pitches.
If you remove those 186 runs Virat’s average will go below 29. But in our country the weak are attacked, Ajinkya Rahane and Pujara were weak so they were removed.#INDvNZ #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/FvSkWopcJz
— SACHIN@GOAT (@sachinyuvifan) November 3, 2024
India faced a humiliating 0-3 whitewash at home for the first time ever after suffering a 25-run defeat in the third Test against a New Zealand side that arrived here on the back of a 0-2 loss to Sri Lanka.
“Losing 3-0 at home is a tough pill to swallow, and it calls for introspection. Was it lack of preparation, was it poor shot selection, or was it lack of match practice?” Tendulkar posted on X.
Set a target of 147 on a crumbling Wankhede pitch, India lasted just 29.1 overs to be bowled out for 121, making it the lowest target to be successfully defended against them at home.
Rishabh Pant (64), who struck fifties in both the innings, was the only batter to show some fight, while Shubman Gill (90) was the top-scorer in India’s first innings.
“@ShubmanGill showed resilience in the first innings, and @RishabhPant17 was brilliant in both innings — his footwork made a challenging surface look like a different one altogether. He was simply superb,” Tendulkar noted.
(With PTI inputs)
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