Ajaz Patel shines as New Zealand hands India their first 3-0 Test series defeat at home

After Pant was controversially given out leg before wicket following a decision by the DRS taken by New Zealand in the 22nd over, scoring 64 runs off 57 balls with 9 boundaries and 1 six, India's chances of victory were dashed. New Zealand quickly capitalized on the momentum, taking just 7.3 overs to claim the final three wickets and dismiss India for 121. With this, they secured a 25-run victory and made history by becoming the first visiting team to sweep a series on Indian soil. This achievement is even more impressive considering no other team has managed to achieve this feat in a series of more than two Tests played in India.

It reflects a measure of India’s compounding batting woes that Pant, a born risk-taker, was the only one who could ring in shots and succeed, while the established batters led by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma never looked at home, here in Mumbai or for that matter in the entire series.

India’s loss in Mumbai came despite the home team managing a crucial 28-run first innings lead in a low-scoring thriller that lasted less than three days. To get to 146 on a pitch turning square, the hosts needed a 70-80 run partnership, as Shubman Gill had said the previous evening. India’s second highest score was the 12 scored by Washington Sundar, who was the last man out. Only three batters got to double figures.

Gill was dismissed for one run, paying the price for his error of judgement as he was bowled shouldering arms to a straighter one from Ajaz Patel. Several others too fell prey to the left-arm spinner’s nagging accuracy and guile. Backing up his 14-wicket haul from the previous Test he played here – that game in December 2021 included his innings 10-for – Ajaz bagged a 11-wicket haul this time. The Mumbai-born Kiwi clearly proved a thorn in India’s flesh on the land of his birth, taking over after India’s Pune tormentor Mitchell Santner did not play this game.

“I accept the fact that we were not good enough with the bat in the entire series. There were a lot of good things also that happened during the series with the bat. But yeah, the couple of innings of the first two Tests where we fell very, very short in the first innings, and then New Zealand were ahead in the game, that cost us those games.

“Even now, I thought 147 should have been chaseable. But we were just not good enough with the bat. We didn’t apply ourselves. There were a lot of mistakes that were made,” Rohit Sharma told reporters after the match.