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At the core of everything that has transpired in this series is one abnormality. The top scoring is a visiting batter. That hasn’t actually happened very often in Test cricket matches played in India.
In keeping with this century’s events, Alastair Cook’s brutal grind took place in 2012–2013. The exceptional talent of Steven Smith in 2016–17. In 2009–10, Hashim Amla’s wristy prowess allowed him to score 490 runs and be removed just once. Andy Flower’s master lesson on sweep shots in 2000-01. Matthew Hayden’s master lesson on sweep shots in 2000-01. Although this is not a comprehensive list, it does bring up a very helpful point. Only one of these five performances contributed to the series victory for their squad.
The batters from India managed to keep up with the majority of the others. Smith was closely followed by Cheteshwar Pujara. Despite having played one fewer innings, Rahul Dravid was just 108 runs off Flower. And on a single trip to the crease, VVS Laxman made 2000-01 all about him. Their ability to put on some solid runs—the kind that really blew opponents away—was a major factor in their domination at home. Three of the five Test matches that England played in 2016–17 started with first-inning totals of 400 or more. They lost two by an innings and drew one.
These runs frequently came from their top four players, who have a great deal of experience and the resulting persistence. On top of the rankings this time, though, is a player who had never played international cricket before and is India’s closest equivalent to Rachin Ravindra.
However, Sarfaraz Khan’s greatest contribution—his 150, which accounts for the majority of his 170 runs—came from a higher position in the batting order. In order to raise the average of India’s top four batters to 31.75, that innings is putting in a lot of work. After subtracting that, they have scored 358 runs at an average of 23.87 in 15 innings.
In contrast, New Zealand’s Nos. 1–4 are averaging 49, and even if you exclude Ravindra’s century, it still stands at a healthy 37 thanks to Devon Conway’s two half-centuries; Tom Latham in Pune produced some of the best defensive batting in India’s second innings in the modern era; and Will Young, who replaced Kane Williamson, who is arguably the team’s only irreplaceable player, has provided stability. Only Yashasvi Jaiswal has faced more balls than Young’s 222 among the top four players in India. Latham is the only one in his own top four to have faced less (210).
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who both have home bases here, departed Pune early. It made sense. They couldn’t find anything else there. They were merely unhealthy reminders of what they had lost: 18 consecutive series victories, a streak that was unmatched in the game’s history and to which they had contributed significantly.
Despite terrible batting circumstances, Kohli in particular has produced magnificent jewels. As an illustration of how destructive his focus is, 81 of the 248 runs he made in Visakhapatnam eight years ago stood apart. He was too strong for the ball that grew large. He was unable to be surprised by the ball that went straight. The ball was thrashed to the boundary if it stayed low.
He has been caught off a non-turning Glenn Phillips offbreak and bowled to a Mitchell Santner full toss in this series. It has kept up a concerning pattern in the way he and his teammates bat against spin.
A major contributing factor to India’s losses has been Rohit. He tried to explain the choices he and his squad made during the post-match press conference in Pune, but his remarks have not gone over well.
He has been compared to Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag on social media. Monday, Ten Hag was fired. Although Rohit’s circumstances are marginally better, it is nevertheless noteworthy that he has guided India to four defeats in 15 home Test matches. In thirty-one, his predecessor lost two.
It can be a little harsh to reduce a player to their numbers alone. Even worse, it frequently presents an incomplete image. In this instance, it fails to acknowledge how effectively Rohit guided the squad against England earlier this season, when they fell behind 0-1 and lost their first-choice picks due to injury and other issues. Right now, India needs that Kohli and that Rohit. To recapture their former aura, they need their two finest batters.