IND vs NZ: More questions and not a lot of answers after another historic series loss
CHENNAI: An ODI series such as the one between India and New Zealand runs the risk of being lost to some of the sport's usual elements. With the 50-over World Cup 20 months away in a different continent where conditions are expected to be very different, you cannot gleam much from matches played in India. What has happened in January 2026 has little meaning or context to what may happen in October 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. There's of course a qualification element to next year's World Cup but India are well placed to qualify. In essence, this whole series, then, was a bit of a box-ticking exercise with no long-term jeopardy associated to it but more on that anon.
But it's safe to say the last week or so has been a timely wake-up call for the Indian leadership group and support staff. Forget the fact that they have lost an ODI series at home for the first time in three years (Australia in March 2023 if you are wondering), there seems to be a lack of clarity and messaging between the team and the support staff.
The positives, first. Virat Kohli was utterly magisterial for the majority of the series and his 124 in the third ODI on Sunday further showed he retains everything that made him a world-beater in this format over a decade ago. Harshit Rana has further entrenched himself within the set-up after another eye-catching displays, both with bat and ball. Five wickets and some big ball-striking is a blessing in a team that has historically struggled to unearth specialist bowlers capable of finding boundaries at the death.
Outside of those two players, though, it's hard to look for positives. With Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya the only notable absentees with the upcoming T20 World Cup in mind, the management can't even hide behind the garb of fielding players keeping in mind the long-term, a claim New Zealand can make as their contingent was filled with inexperience wherever you look.
The hosts did have a couple of inexperienced players but they haven't handled them properly over the last few months, a theme that's continued in this series. Take the example of Nitish Reddy.
This is India's big project player across formats and conditions. He certainly has the tools to bat in the top six and be a regular seam-bowling all-rounder. But having identified him, the management hasn't utilised him properly. And comments like the one put forth by Ryan ten Doeschate, India's assistant coach, don't help. “With Nitish, we keep talking about developing him and getting him game time and then when you do get him game time, he often ends up not doing a heck of a lot in the games,” the former Dutch all-rounder had said after the second ODI.
On Sunday, his thrill-a-minute half-century ignited some hope after all hope was seemingly lost. With the ball on a very placid surface, he bowled eight overs.
With young project players, you will have to be patient. Former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, had once famously remarked that you pay for the education of young players with points. Series like these are ideal testing grounds for the education of young players but you ought to be patient.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was left on the bench, Shreyas Iyer had a middling return while Ravindra Jadeja played all three games when he's not going to be an automatic starter in South Africa and elsewhere in 20 months time. The southpaw is a lot of things but he's never been a hitter at the death in this format and at 37, he's unlikely to add that dynamism this late.
The point about this series not having enough riding of it is true but it still ought to sting the support staff, especially the already embattled Gautam Gambhir. Not many Indian coaches preside a Test and ODI series loss to different opponents at home in back-to-back months. Sure, he led the Indian team to win in the Champions Trophy before ensuring a drawn Test series in England but this low stakes series will be fresh in the mind when the co-hosts begin the T20 World Cup title defense.
Lose that and Gambhir will definitely feel the heat.