Ajaz Patel said helping New Zealand wrap up a 3-0 series sweep in India on Sunday was even more special than his spectacular outing at the Wankhede Stadium three years ago when the Mumbai-born spinner picked up ten wickets in one innings. The Black Caps spinner claimed 5-103 in the first innings of the third and final test and 6-57 in the second as New Zealand sealed a 25-run win on Sunday to become the first team to blank India in a home series featuring three or more tests.
The Black Caps dominated the Test series on challenging Indian pitches. They won the opener in Bengaluru by eight wickets and wrapped it up days later on a turning wicket in Pune with a 113-run victory. It was New Zealand’s maiden series triumph in India since 1955 and ended the hosts’ record run of 18 consecutive home series wins dating back to England’s 2-1 defeat in 2012.
Off-break bowler, Glenn Phillips backed up Patel with a superb four-wicket haul, while allrounder Mitchell Santner claimed a remarkable 13-wicket match haul on his return to the side after a three-year absence from the format. Spinner Yashasvi Jaiswal also took a hat-trick on the final day as New Zealand kept up the pressure to prevent India from making a comeback.
Despite losing wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant early to a rash shot off Matt Henry, the hosts’ batsmen struggled to produce any resistance to the Black Caps, and they were dismissed for just 121 in their second innings. The defeat meant the world’s top-ranked Test side went a long way toward dispelling the notion that they can never be beaten at home.
But India will need to take a different approach when they tour Australia next year to salvage their hopes of reaching the World Cup final in February. The series win in India will likely negatively impact the confidence of captain Rohit Sharma’s batters ahead of their five-test tour to the southern hemisphere.
The Black Caps’ spinners ran riot on a complex surface in Mumbai to take an unassailable lead as they thrashed India by an innings and 117 runs. The Black Caps will be looking to replicate that performance on the bouncy and seam-friendly Perth Stadium pitch when they host the Australians from December 7.
