India’s Test captain Rohit Sharma remained confident of his team’s chances to emerge victorious in the ongoing series vs New Zealand:
”We will take the positives and move forward. There are guys who have been in this situation before. We lost a game against England and won four games after that. Two Test matches to go and we know exactly what is needed from each one of us. We will try and put our best game forward” the skipper said.
His comments came immediately after India fell to a shocking home defeat vs New Zealand in the three-match series. Captain Sharma believes the loss does not define Team India’s chances ahead of upcoming Test meetings vs the visitors:
“It’s important to keep a consistent message in the group. We really found a way to come back into this game with the bat in the second innings. Of course, we lost a Test match. But I feel a lot of good things have happened in this game.”
Rohit Sharma Speaks on Second Innings Performance
Praise for Batters in the Second Innings
India getting bowled out for 46 was a shocker in the first Test innings vs New Zealand; however, the team’s swingers came out firing during the second innings. Sharma had lots of praise for batters who marshalled India’s second go vs New Zealand after a poor start:
”It was a good effort with the bat in the second innings. We didn’t bat well in the first innings. So knew what was ahead and couple of guys stood out. When you are 350 behind you can’t think too much about it. just got to see the ball and bat. Couple of partnerships were really exciting to watch and got us back in the game. We could have easily been bowled out cheaply but proud of the effort. Everyone is on the edge of the seat when those two (Pant and Sarfaraz) are playing”, Sharma added.
“Three Hours Not Going to Dictate”
Sharma does not believe three horrible hours for India’s Test team will be enough to assess their overall performance in the series:
“I am not going to look too much into this Test match honestly because those three hours are not going to dictate what this team is. You know, because it will be unfair to think about those three hours and start judging players and talk slightly differently,” the skipper said.
Sharma believes the comeback from their first Test defeat is only possible if the team maintains a calm approach in upcoming matches:
“Now, it’s just about keeping a very calm atmosphere, and not to send panic messages. It’s important that we stay strong and try and see how we can nail that second game.”
Sharma on Rishabh Pant’s Performance
Pant was among India’s star performers even if the team fell to a shock defeat on home soil. Sharma confirms that the team is not in any rush to let Pant get back to full match fitness while featuring in Tests:
“He had a massive operation on his leg. It’s just to be a little careful about where he is at and what he is to us. Even when he was batting, he was not comfortably running. He was trying to only put the ball in the stands.”
Pant had to deal with a long rehabilitation period after surviving a freak car accident in December 2022. His return has signalled great performances for Team India with his mature wicketkeeping duties; however, Sharma doesn’t want to overwork his skilled compatriot just yet.
Aakash Chopra Questions Rohit Sharma’s Decision as Test Captain in the New Zealand Test Match Defeat
Former Team India cricketer questioned Rohit Sharma’s omission of senior pacer Ravichandran Ashwin from bowling duties. The record-breaking Ashwin played no significant part in India’s pacing attack as the team grappled with decent responses to New Zealand’s batting. He made his opinion clear through a YouTube video:
“No doubt the runs were less, but we didn’t get Ashwin to bowl at all. I am not saying we would have won the match if Ashwin had bowled, but we didn’t get him to bowl. Why was Ashwin not bowled? I don’t have an answer for that because, if you see his numbers, he is your team’s best bowler. No one has taken more wickets than him in Test matches. It was not understandable at all,” Chopra concluded.
Washington Sundar to Feature in 2nd and 3rd Tests vs New Zealand
Team India has called up Washington Sundar to boost their firepower ahead of upcoming Test matches against New Zealand. The skilled batter was added to the squad after an official announcement on October 20, 2024.
Sundar will join up with the squad in Pune, where India vs New Zealand’s second Test match is scheduled to hold.
India’s Squad for Second and Third Test vs New Zealand
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (V-C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (W-K), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel (W-K), Axar Patel, and Akash Deep,
