With India set to play 13 Test matches in the long home season, they are off to a rollicking start as they whitewashed the Kiwis 3-0 and regained their no.1 position in the ICC Test rankings. While the visitors looked upbeat to provide a stiff competition against the hosts, the end result was a mere disappointment.
Despite the outcome, there was some quality cricket played by both the sides which turned out to be a visual treat for the fans. Though the end result reads 3-0, New Zealand had their moments in the first two matches to put India under the pump, but they couldn’t capitalise on the situation.
Also Read: 5 talking points from the third Test between India and New Zealand at Indore
The Test series between these two sides witnessed some stellar individual performances from players from both sides.
Here are the top five performers of the India-New Zealand series.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Any cricket fan would be happy seeing Pujara performing to his utmost potential and that was certainly the case in this series. Under pressure to perform and to cement his place in the no.3 position, the 28-year-old stood up to the occasion and performed consistently throughout the series.
His short stint with the India Blue side in the Duleep trophy helped him regain his form and the Saurashtrian carried that to the national side.
The right-hander finished the series with 373 to his name which included three half-centuries and a century. Pujara was the vital cog during the second Test where he weathered the storm and scored a brilliant 87 on a tricky wicket, after India were down for 46-3.
The 28-year-old combined with Rahane to put on a terrific partnership which saw India go past 300. Pujara created a significant impact along with the likes of Rohit Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha which allowed India to clinch the series in Kolkata.
Ajinkya Rahane
Rahane has done little wrong since he made his Test debut for India. The 28-year-old once again produced a resounding performance in this series and scored a mammoth 347 runs at an average of 69.40, and in the process, he took his career average past 50.
Rahane came up with the goods when his side was in trouble along with Pujara in the second Test and scored a sublime 77.
The Mumbai batsman backed his 77 with an astounding knock of 188 in the third Test, when he partnered with Virat Kohli and broke several Test match records. Rahane along with Kohli was instrumental in setting up a huge first innings total in the third and final Test.
The most striking factor about Rahane is his consistency in Test matches, which is a symbol of a great Test batsman. All that Indian fans could wish for is that the Rahane’s rich vein of form continues.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Breaking records has become a habit for this man, and he has been doing this at a steady rate. Apart from being a menacing off-spinner, Ashwin has emerged as a brilliant all-rounder as well. While the all-rounder wasn’t amongst the runs in this series, he has broken several records in the bowling department.
Ashwin has picked up 27 wickets at an impressive average of 17.77 with best bowling figures of 7/59. The most noticeable aspect of his performance was that he got rid of New Zealand’s best player Kane Williamson, on all the four occasions he bowled to him.
The off-spinner made the visitors dance to his tunes and hardly any batsman played him effectively. The Chennai-born player has the most wickets (220) after playing 39 Tests.
The 30-year-old also broke the record of being the fastest Indian to get to 200 wickets in the first Test. With several Test matches to be played at home, the all-rounder is set to break many more records.
Tom Latham
It’s not always easy for an overseas batsman to perform well in sub-continent conditions, as batsmen have to deal with vicious spinning wickets. To excel in these conditions is a huge challenge for any visiting batsman and it requires an enormous amount of skill.
Despite the fact that there weren’t too many batsmen from the New Zealand side who dominated the Indian attack, Tom Latham stood out from his teammates.
The eye-catching opening batsman performed with a great deal of consistency in the series with three half-centuries to his name. The left-hander handled the dynamic duo of Jadeja and Ashwin skilfully.
The 24-year old amassed 194 runs at an average of 32.33 with a best score of 74. This series would have been a huge learning experience for the youngster who was on his first tour to India.
Trent Boult
To perform in spin friendly wickets is always a humungous task for any fast bowler, but New Zealand’s Trent Boult impressed in the India series. Boult has been the standout bowler in this series for New Zealand, where the Kiwi spinners haven’t been effective at all.
The left arm fast bowler is widely regarded as one of the most skilful bowlers in the world across all formats and sets a high standard for himself. The 27-year-old scalped 10 wickets in three matches with best figures of 3/38 at an average of 33.30.
The numbers suggest that he didn’t have a great series with the ball, but every time when he ran in there was something to happen. Boult used a lot of variety to his bowling which always kept the batsman guessing.
However, wickets weren’t easy to come by, but he didn’t allow the batsman to dictate play which is a hallmark for a great Test bowler.
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