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The Indian cricket team suffered a humiliating defeat against New Zealand in a three-match Test series at home, marking the first time India has faced a clean sweep in a three-match Test series on home soil. The series defeat sparked intense criticism towards Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who both struggled for form throughout the series. Some critics, however, also questioned the nature of the pitch, arguing that it was heavily biased towards spin bowling, making it difficult for batsmen to score runs.
The debate intensified after the third Test in Mumbai, where India were bundled out for a paltry 121 runs while chasing a target of 147. Only Rishabh Pant managed to score above 15 runs, with the rest of the batting lineup struggling against the spin bowling of Ajaz Patel, who picked up 11 wickets in the match. A fan on Twitter pointed out the difficulty of facing spin legends like Shane Warne and Muralitharan on subcontinental tracks, suggesting that the current Indian batsmen lack the ability to handle such bowling.
However, Harbhajan Singh, a former Indian spinner, quickly responded, defending the Indian batsmen and stating that the pitch was specifically prepared for a 2-3 day match, making it heavily spin-friendly. He asserted that anyone could get anyone out on such tracks and that the current batsmen never played on such spin-dominant pitches, which heavily favored the spinners. This argument highlights the ongoing debate about the role of pitch conditions in determining the outcome of a match, with some arguing that overly spin-friendly pitches can create an unfair advantage for the bowlers.
Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, acknowledged the team's poor performance and took full responsibility for the defeat. He expressed disappointment with the series loss, admitted to mistakes by the team, and highlighted the superior performance of the New Zealand team throughout the series. The series defeat against New Zealand raises concerns for the Indian team ahead of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. While the pitch conditions in Australia are likely to be different, the Indian team will need to address their weaknesses and improve their batting performance in order to be successful in the upcoming series.
Source: "Earlier Batsmen Never..." Harbhajan Singh's Sharp Reply To 'Murali, Warne' Post