New Zealand scripted history by becoming the first-ever team to whitewash India at their home in a series comprising three or more Tests. The Kiwis achieved the feat by beating the hosts by 25 runs in the third Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday (November 3).
The visiting team lost their last wicket early on Day 3 after adding three more runs to their overnight score and set a target of 147 runs for the hosts. Rohit Sharma (11) tried to play aggressively but perished in the process after hitting two fours, playing a reckless shot.
Left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel then spun a web around the batters and picked up wickets at regular intervals to trigger a collapse of the Indian line-up. Rishabh Pant fought a lone battle and single-handedly kept his team's hopes afloat with a knock of 64 (57), even though he did not receive any support from others.
However, his controversial dismissal in the 22nd over dented the home team's hopes of avoiding a whitewash. From 106/6, India collapsed yet again and bundled for 121 and lost the match by 25 runs, with Ajaz Patel ending with six wickets.
Team India's poor performances in all departments across the three Tests against New Zealand disappointed the fans, who vented their frustrations on social media platforms by sharing memes.
One of the fans wrote:
"130 saal mein ek baar tho allowed hai yaar- Rohit Sharma."
Here are some of the top memes:
"We could have only dreamed of being in this situation here before the series" - New Zealand captain Tom Latham after winning vs Indian in 3rd Test 2024
At the post-match presentation, New Zealand captain Tom Latham reflected on the memorable series victory, saying:
"Very ecstatic. Looking back at the start of this series, the boys have done a fantastic job. We spoke about after each Test that we had to back it up. On different surfaces. Just being able to adapt to each ground... it's not been one way of doing things. Different guys did the job on different occasions. The seamers did it in Bangalore. Last week it was Mitch and this week it was Ajaz."
He continued:
"An all-round great team effort. We just want to try and keep it simple here. Come here and fire a few shots. We have done that by being more aggressive, more proactive, understand how India play and try and do our best. Really happy to be standing here. I don't think we did too bad in Sri Lanka either, just were on the right side of a few tosses here. Runs are always important. We could have only dreamed of being in this situation here before the series."
Who were the standout performers for New Zealand in this series? Let us know your opinions in the comments section.
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