New Zealand vs India 2014: 1st Test - 5 takeaways from another defeat for Team India

Well, if the 0-4 battering in the 5-match ODI series wasn’t enough, Dhoni’s men went down by 40 runs in the 1st Test match at Auckland, and have handed an unassailable 1-0 lead to a spirited New Zealand side, which refuses to be beaten.

The story of the first two days of the Test match was abominable for every Indian cricket fanatic to swallow, but a stellar show from the fast bowling trio of Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan on the 3rd day of the Test match gave India a glimmer of a chance to pull off the unthinkable.

After India were bowled out for a paltry 202 in their first innings, Brendon McCullum decided not to enforce the follow-on, a move, which later seemed to be a sabotage of all the good work done by the Blackcaps up until then. In the end though, McCullum not enforcing the follow-on didn’t prove contentious as far as New Zealand were concerned, and once again ended up as the victorious side in a great contest between bat and ball.

That being said, here are the 5 things I learned from another defeat in overseas conditions for Team India.

Team India again lost a game that was totally within their grasp

Has been the story of the tour so far, hasn’t it? Team India need to be applauded for their tenacity to bounce back from precarious situations right throughout the tour of New Zealand, but the final touches or the finishing touches haven’t come through on even a single occasion.

First win in 11 overseas Tests remains elusive

The first Test match was yet another story of fighting your way back into the game from a position of virtual death, but just when it seemed like Team India would prevail, it didn’t quite pan out that way.

Chasing 407 was always going to be daunting task, but having got to a position of 222-2, and with two Delhi batsmen in Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan playing beautifully, you’d have to say that it was India’s game to lose, and not New Zealand’s game to win.

Looking back on the Test match, it’s obvious that the 1st overseas Test win remains elusive after 11 attempts in the last 3 years.

Ravindra Jadeja’s ability remains a mystery and appalling

Yes indeed. There are two dimensions to this whole thing. One is that Jadeja, if he can curb his instinctive maneuvers that smidgen bit, he can prove to be a match-winner. Jadeja is a hot property in the way international cricket is played today.

He can bowl splendidly, field acrobatically, and can use the long-handle to more than very good effect. Albeit, he’s still a bits and pieces cricketer, he’s exhilarating to watch. So, it remains a mystery as to what he might render when he’s in the thick of things.

Rather frenetic for Test match requirements

Walking in at 270-6, and India requiring 137 more, who on earth would have expected Jadeja to come up with a cameo like that. He thrashed the New Zealand bowling attack to all parts of the ground, and as you started to get intoxicated by this ‘Jadeja Storm’, it culminated with a rash shot, which typically signifies the appalling maneuver that the headline talks about.

Rohit Sharma’s body language is annoying

This was a monotonic criticism on Rohit Sharma up until the beginning of 2013, when he finally decided to show the world that he has learnt, and more importantly he was hungry to play to his potential.

Body language is Rohit Sharma’s undoing

But then, his dismissals in both the innings of the 1st Test match against New Zealand certainly suggests me that the ‘Rohit Sharma of old’ is starting to resurface yet again, and if you’re MS Dhoni, that’s the last thing you want to see from your premier batsman.

Not bringing down his bat in time to a completely benign delivery in the 1st innings must have made him aware of the bad habits that might be invading his system again, but his dismissal in the second innings pinned India into submission almost. First ball after tea, and with India placed as they were, Rohit Sharma had to be responsible and alive to the situation. He wasn’t concentrating, and played a vague shot outside his off-stump to gift his scalp to Tim Southee and New Zealand.

A real innings of reassurance from Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan managed a mere 132 runs in the 7 innings after he had scored a breathtaking 187 on his debut Test match at Mohali. His confidence must have been low, and it’s only natural for him to feel the pinch.

A patient knock, unusual one from Shikhar

His 3rd ball duck in the 1st innings should have sent some serious jitters down his spine, but the way he came out alive and kicking in the 2nd innings showed intent and the urge of wanting to do well at this level. He exhibited ambiguity in the early stages of his knock, but once the adrenaline had settled down, it was a determined Dhawan wanting to make the opportunity given to him by Brendon McCullum count.

His 115 in 211 deliveries in the end proved futile to get Team India over the line, but personally, Dhawan has every reason to be satisfied.

Ishant Sharma had a good Test match with the ball

Of late, there’s been a lot of criticism on Ishant Sharma for his bowling performances at various instances in the last 6 months. He did well against South Africa in the 1st Test match at the wanderers in 2013, but his struggles in ODI cricket are proving to be rather perennial.

Need more of the same in the longer run

He went for 72 runs in the 9 overs he bowled in the 1st ODI against New Zealand on the tour, and a similar performance in the 2nd game saw him getting dropped for the 3rd one.

But his bowling in the 1st Test match was all about sticking to the task of being consistent with his line, and relied on that lateral moment, which was of assistance to him on the 1st morning of the Test match.

His match figures of 9-162 should have done him a world of good, and it only remains to be seen whether he can come up with another good showing in the 2nd Test match of the series.

Final touches

Totally gutted with the fact that Team India couldn’t finish off the game from a seemingly winning position, but keeping the faith on Dhoni and his troops to learn from their mistakes in the 1st Test match and improve their worrying overseas form in 2014.

After all, it’s tough being an Indian cricket fanatic at this present moment.