India completed an outstanding victory at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore beating New Zealand by a margin of 321 runs, winning the series 3-0 in the process. This is the second biggest win for India in terms of runs.
Indore, in its first ever Test match, played witness to a belligerent display by the Indians as they outplayed the Black Caps in all the departments of the game. In what was a complete performance, we look at five most pleasing aspects for the winners:
#5 Gambhir impresses in comeback Test
When Gautam Gambhir came into the squad after the first Test, many Indians were hoping he would get a game. And as luck had it, Shikhar Dhawan injured his thumb in the second Test, paving a way for the Delhi opener to make his international comeback after 2 years of exile.
He looked good in the first innings, pulling two Matt Henry deliveries over the square-leg boundary for sixes, but could not capitalize on a good start, as he was caught plumb by a Trent Boult delivery. Then, he injured his shoulder while fielding and it looked like his comeback would end in disappointment.
But the 34-year-old came out to bat in the second innings, and after another injury setback on Day 3, he absolutely stamped his authority on the Kiwis at a time when India needed quick runs on the fourth morning. He took the game to the New Zealand bowlers playing some exquisite cover drives and cut shots as he looked to up the ante. Soon he reached his half century, his 22nd in Tests.
He got out soon after looking to hit out against Jeetan Patel, but the team management will be pleased with this knock and so will he. Question marks persist about his new technique, with his open stance expected to cause trouble against balls that tail in, but his approach and mentality needs to be commended. It will be a good selection headache for the selectors ahead of the England series which starts next month.
#4 Rohit Sharma has done enough to cement his place
When this series started, there were many fans who were skeptical of Rohit Sharma’s inclusion in the team for the first Test. Their skepticism gained strength as the Mumbai batsman threw away another good start in the first innings at Kanpur. But since then, he has played some very crucial knocks for the Indian team in the innings that followed.
After scoring 68* and 82 in the first and second Tests respectively, he came to the party again at Indore as he went on to score another half-century. It was a well-paced innings, as India were looking for some quick runs before declaring in the first innings and the 29-year-old delivered again. His unbeaten 51 came at a strike rate of 81 and included three fours and two sixes.
After a series where he has performed consistently, he will be hoping to keep up with more displays of this sort and let his bat do the talking against his critics.
#3 Virat becomes the first Indian captain to score two double tons
Virat Kohli, after scoring his first double century against the West Indies in Antigua, seemed to have lost his way somewhat. He was not scoring enough runs and his mode of dismissal in the Kanpur Test and the first innings of the Kolkata Test brought some criticism as he got out playing shots that could have been avoided.
But he showed signs of form in the second innings at the Eden Gardens as he scored an attacking 45. And he made sure he carried that form in the third Test match, going on to score a magnificent double hundred. He showed immense patience, he curbed his tendency of chasing deliveries wide outside the off stump as he played a chanceless knock.
His foot-work was commendable as he made good use of the depth of the crease pouncing on the back foot against anything that appeared to be marginally short and coming well forward every time the Kiwi bowlers pitched it up. It was a measured innings in all aspects as he chose his moments cleverly to attack the Kiwis. As the Kiwi coach confessed,”Kohli killed us softly”.
His knock of 211 was the first instance of an Indian captain scoring two double centuries and looking at the way he batted one can safely assume there are plenty more on the way.
#2 Ajinkya Rahane: Mr. Dependable of the Indian Team
Ajinkya Rahane finished as the second top run scorer in this series with 347 runs. The Mumbai batsman has continued his progress in establishing himself as the mainstay of the Indian middle order. ‘Jinks’, as his teammates call him, has gone from strength to strength ever since his failed Test debut. He has scored runs all around the world for India and has shown his capability to adapt to conditions without much of a fuss.
And he scored a wonderful 188 against the Kiwis in the first innings as he, along with his captain, helped India set up a huge total in the first innings. It was an innings of true grit and resolve as he struggled against a barrage of short pitched bowling by the Kiwi pacers. He took some beating, he ducked under a few, he mishit plenty but he did not give up.
It was everything that you expect of a middle-order batsman as he upped the tempo as India edged towards declaration and in the process lost his wicket 12 runs short of a first double ton. That just emphasizes his true team-man quality as he put the team’s needs ahead of personal glory.
Surely, he is the Mr. Dependable of this Indian batting line-up.
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin is a true champion
One cannot find the superlatives to describe Ravichandran Ashwin’s contribution in helping India to the summit of the ICC Test Team Rankings. He has been at the centre of the chain of impressive performances by India and along with Ravindra Jadeja, has troubled opponent batsmen to a great extent.
He continued his wonderful form as India cleaned up the Kiwis in the third Test with a day to spare. He terrorized the Black Caps’ batsmen throughout, picking 6 wickets in the first innings. He topped his first innings performance with a career-best 7 for 59 in the second innings as India ran out clear winners.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, one of the best batsmen of current times, continued to struggle against the guile of Ashwin. The 30-year-old off spinner made Williamson his bunny as he dismissed the Kiwi batsman in all of the four innings that he played.
He finished the series with 27 wickets at an impressive strike rate of 32.5 with three five-wicket hauls. No wonder he was adjudged the Man of the Match and the Man of the Series. This was Ashwin’s 7th Man of the Series award in 39 Tests and he has continued to show that he is a champion performer for India.
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