Just as expected, India pulled off a resounding and convincing win against New Zealand in the 2nd and final test and thereby have won the series as well. Crucially, India have also secured vital points towards the next WTC finals though by that time, there will definitely be a new batting order. Kohli will remember this game for quite sometime because it took awhile to come. There were quite a few memorable feats in this test. Let me try to analyse in India vs New Zealand second test review.
Enormous feat but with a pinch of salt
The one major feat that everyone talks about in this test was undoubtedly the 10-wicket haul of Ajaz Patel. Whichever way you look at it, it was an extraordinary performance. Granted, he bowled close to 50 overs and India played more than 100 overs on a pitch that wasn’t a rank turner but had sufficient help for the spinners. Yet, none of this must diminish the performance of Ajaz. Even if India had scored more than 500, 10 wickets in an innings is an incredible feat. Having said that, I do not think that just because Ajaz achieved this in the first innings, it is an even better achievement. I will not agree with that analysis because yes this was in the first innings but the test match wasn’t played on a New Zealand pitch or a pitch that had pace and bounce.
It was played at the Wankhede in India which is known to help the slow bowlers. The pitch at the Wankhede had lots of help for the spinners. It was certainly not unplayable but a spinner had all the help he could have asked for. This was the case even on day one. I will say that it was an extraordinary effort and achievement but the fact that it was during day 1 and 2 will not enhance the performance.
Best delivery of the game
There were a couple of deliveries that competes to be the delivery of the game and both of them got wickets. It is funny that a delivery when it does not fetch a wicket is not even in contention eventhough it was a beautiful delivery. Ajaz Patel to Ashwin and Siraj to Ross Taylor are the 2 deliveries that stood out in the entire test. Both of them were fabulous. Both of them moved in the same angle. From leg to off. Ajaz’s was a beautifully flighted delivery that pitched on middle and leg and turned just enough to beat the defense of Ashwin. Ashwin did not even realise that he was bowled and he asked for review. However, the delivery of the game must certainly belong to Siraj.
On a pitch that wasn’t conducive for the faster bowlers, Siraj’s spell on the 2nd afternoon was a treat to watch. It had everything pace, seam and bounce. Rossco who is usually a good player of fast bowling was completely beaten by the pace and angle of that delivery. Siraj got the ball to move just a little that defeated Taylor comprehensively and had his bail knocked off. It was every fast bowler’s dream delivery and Siraj perfected it.
Why Kohli did not declare
India bowled just 28 overs in New Zealand’s first innings and had a lead of over 250 and yet, Kohli did not ask New Zealand to bat again. 28 overs is not a lot of effort and the Indian bowlers could have bowled again but Kohli chose not to. There could be couple of reasons for Kohli not wanting to impose the follow-on. One is more of speculation and the other is real.
Let me first speculate
Kohli has been on the receiving end from New Zealand over the last 3 years. Under his watch, India lost the test series in New Zealand 0-2 and the ODI series preceding that 0-3. More famously, India’s march towards the final of the 2019 ODI World Cup and the 2021 T20 World Cup was stopped by New Zealand. Not to forget the WTC finals in England. A test that was destined to be drawn, New Zealand came from nowhere to win that test and the championship comprehensively.
Hence, he had a score to settle. Kohli got that opportunity at Mumbai and he wanted to grind the New Zealand bowlers to the ground and he took that opportunity. There is nothing wrong in that. Test match wins are not that easy. They are hard won. Lot of efforts, planning and strategy goes into winning test matches. A captain had to be ruthless and Kohli is ruthless.
Now to the humane reason
Kohli and Pujara are struggling for runs. Everyone is aware of that. India will be touring South Africa shortly. It is a country where India have never won a test series. Now, South Africa is in real bother. They hardly have any batsman of international repute. Gone are the days when they were able to call upon, Smith, Amla, Kallis, de Villiers or even Gibbs. They are ripe for the taking and Kohli will surely want himself to be in top form. He may not get one more opportunity.
To ensure maximum amount of game time, he choose not to impose the follow on. It gave both Pujara and Kohli much needed time in the middle. Ofcourse, Indian conditions will not be a match for what will be found in South Africa but time spent in the middle is worth. If only either had scored a hundred, India will be in a much happier space just before South Africa.
Gains for India
There were lot of gains. First and foremost is that even without some major players, India is tough to beat at home. That is the biggest takeaway. This has thrown up lot of replacements for Pujara, Rahane and even Kohli. It is something every team will like to have. It will be hard to drop any of Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Shubnam Gill and Mayank Agarwal in South Africa. If Pujara or Rahane still fails to perform, they will be replaced sooner rather than later. Siraj looks like shoe-in for the SA tests and Ishant Sharma will be one to miss out.
Gains for New Zealand
As for New Zealand, apart from Ajaz Patel’s perfect 10, not much to write about. The continued failure of Ross Taylor in Asian conditions and Williamson’s struggle on the slow and low wickets are major reasons to worry for New Zealand. If they have to be accepted by everyone as the best test team, they will have to start winning in India and for that, Williamson and Taylor will have to score heavily.