New Delhi: Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar asked the Indian men’s cricket team to introspect their recent Test series loss to New Zealand on home soil. On Sunday, the Tom Latham-led Black Caps routed India by 25 runs in a low-key chase of 147 on the third day of the third Test match.
The achievement helped New Zealand to become the first visiting team to inflict a whitewash (3-0) in a three-match series. This comes after the Rohit Sharma and Co. lost back-to-back Test matches in Bengaluru and Pune to suffer their first Test series defeat at home since 2012.
Sachin Tendulkar, who was part of the Indian team when it lost to England 2-1 in 2012, questioned the team management for lack of match preparation and practice. He also called out Indian batters for their poor shot selections.
“Losing 3-0 at home is a tough pill to swallow, and it calls for introspection. Was it lack of preparation, was it poor shot selection, or was it lack of match practice?,” Tendulkar wrote on his X handle.
Losing 3-0 at home is a tough pill to swallow, and it calls for introspection.
Was it lack of preparation, was it poor shot selection, or was it lack of match practice? @ShubmanGill showed resilience in the first innings, and @RishabhPant17 was brilliant in both innings— his… pic.twitter.com/8f1WifI5Hd— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) November 3, 2024
Virender Sehwag called India’s performance ‘terrible’
Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag also lashed out at the Indian team for its inability to play spin. He said that experimentations tried by the team management won’t work in longer formats like Test cricket, and later congratulated the Black Caps for their stunning win.
“While as supporters it’s imperative to support the team but this has been a terrible performance from our team.
The skill to play spin certainly needs an upgrade and certain experimentations are good for the shorter format but in Test cricket doing some needless experimentations just for the sake of it was indeed poor,” Sehwag wrote on his Instagram.
“Congratulations to Tom Latham and his @blackcapsnz boys on doing what is a dream for every visiting team and no other could conquer in this way,” he added.
