Mitchell Santner of New Zealand celebrates with his teammates (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
New Zealand achieved the impossible conquering the final frontier, defeating the fancied Indian team by 113 runs in Pune, to achieve their first Test series victory ever in India. It was the first home series defeat for India in 12 years leaving them and their fans shell-shocked. From Rachin Ravindra’s hundred in Bengaluru to Mitchell Santner’s record-breaking performance in Pune to the struggle of India’s top-order against spin, RG looks at some numbers which define New Zealand’s spectacular performance in the series.
New Zealand’s first series win in India
New Zealand recorded their first Test series win in India in their 13th attempt. They had lost 10 and drawn two of their previous 12 series in the country. It was also India’s first home series loss since losing to England in 2012. India had won a record 18 successive home series in this period which is a world record.
New Zealand became the sixth visiting team to defeat India in India. England and the West Indies have achieved the feat on five occasions each, while Australia has triumphed four times in India. New Zealand joins Pakistan and South Africa, which have registered one series win in India.
Santner’s special feat
Mitchell Santner wreaked havoc on the Indian batting line-up and tormented them in Pune, returning with 13 wickets in the match. His figures of 13-157 were the third-best bowling figures in New Zealand’s Test cricket history after Richard Hadlee’s 15-123 against Australia at The Gabba in 1985 and Ajaz Patel’s 14-225 against India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in 2021.
Only two bowlers have better figures in India than Santner in Test cricket. Ajaz Patel bagged 14 wickets in Mumbai in 2021 whereas Ian Botham returned with a match-haul of 13-106 also at the Wankhede in 1980.
New Zealand spinners outshine India
New Zealand spinners have picked a combined 21 wickets in Bengaluru and Pune at an average of 25.66 and strike rate of 37.9. Their efforts include two fifers and one 10-wicket haul. On the other hand, their more famous Indian counterparts have underperformed. Although they have a higher tally of 26 wickets in the series, the dismissals have come at an average of 27.92 and strike rate of 45.2 with one fifer and ten-wicket haul.
Not a good year for India at home
India has now lost three Test matches in their own conditions in 2024 – England defeated them by 28 runs in Hyderabad in January before New Zealand’s twin wins in Bengaluru and Pune. Only twice before in their Test history has India lost three (or more) Tests at home – they lost four matches in 1969 and three in 1983.
Kohli’s struggles against spin
One of the biggest reasons for India’s defeat in the series was the indifferent form of Virat Kohli. Kohli has struggled against spin and was dismissed by the New Zealand slower bowlers three times in four innings.
He has faced 101 deliveries of spin in the series and scored just 63 runs at an average of 21.
Kohli has poor numbers against spinners since 2022. He has been dismissed 18 times in 24 innings against their ilk at an average of 32.38. In contrast, his numbers against pace are much better in this time-period with 13 dismissals in 21 innings at an average of 46.
India’s spin woes
Indian batters have traditionally been excellent players of spin bowling and have dominated against the slower bowlers across the world. However, that trend seems to be changing and the famed Indian line-up has had massive issues against visiting spinners since 2021. India’s batting average against spin in this time-frame is 34.26 which places them at number 5 after Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Jaiswal shines for India
One of the big positives for India, even in a humiliating loss against New Zealand at home, is the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal. The left-hander counter-attacked New Zealand in the fourth innings in Pune and smashed
77 off just 65 deliveries in a knock which included nine hits to the fence and three over it. Jaiswal now has an aggregate of 1056 runs in 9 Tests (17 innings) in India in 2024 – that is the highest aggregate for an Indian batter at home in a calendar year!
Nikhil Narain
