Manoj Tiwary warns of “cracks” in Team India after shocking Test series defeat vs New Zealand

India's fortress has fallen after an incredible 18-series winning streak on home soil, as New Zealand handed them a shocking series defeat to the hosts by winning the first two matches in Bengaluru and Pune.

The setback not only tarnishes the Indian cricket team's record but throws their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final hopes into jeopardy. Indian cricket team’s hopes for the WTC final now hang in balance, which sparked heavy criticism for the captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Manoj Tiwary blames “Tactical Chaos” for India’s Test series defeat against New Zealand

Amid the storm, Manoj Tiwary has given a stern warning by saying the cracks in India’s dressing room are beginning to show. He blamed a string of poor tactical calls for a once-dominant team’s unexpected Test series defeat. The first Test in Bengaluru seemed tailor-made for India with a spinner-friendly pitch at their disposal, but rain threw a wrench in the works.

And the former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary noted that the Indian team made the biggest mistake by opting to bat first in Bengaluru, and that came back to haunt them badly, and then poor team selection only worsened their woes in the second Test at the MCA Stadium in Pune against New Zealand.

He has further pointed out that the Indian team’s approach looked chaotic, with experiments in the bowling lineup and questionable decisions in player rotation that ultimately left them exposed. For example, Akash Deep was included in the squad but hardly bowled in the crucial second innings of the Pune Test, while Jasprit Bumrah was held back early in the attack.

India's biggest enemy was the weather in Bengaluru: Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz: “India's biggest enemy was the weather in Bengaluru, because they had prepared a turning track. After winning the toss India had the opportunity to field, but I don't know why they opted to bat first, and that is where it all started. First, they got the team selection wrong, then after losing the first Test, they made three changes.”

Furthermore, Manoj Tiwary warned that the Indian team's internal turbulence is all set to shake up the squad further, and with a third Test looming at the Wankhede Stadium from November 1, whispers of discontent are growing louder. He feels the latest setback only deepens the fractures within the dressing room that are already beginning to show to the world.

'There will be a lot of disturbances in the Indian cricket team'

Manoj Tiwary further explained, “Well, you could call that Washington Sundar change an inspiring one, but that doesn't mean that Kuldeep Yadav could not get them wickets. So, they felt the dearth of batting options, and hence, they wanted Sundar to contribute lower down the order. That is why India went out of their way to get him in.”

Tiwary signed off by saying, “What this will lead to is in the coming days there will be a lot of disturbances in the team, there will be cracks in the team. You already have a spin-bowling all-rounder in Axar Patel, who picked up wickets in spinning conditions previously.

"But you ignored him and then benched Kuldeep in the second Test. You did not play Akash Deep in Bengaluru, but included him in the second Test, where you did not give him the ball in the second innings. Then you did not start with Jasprit Bumrah in the attack. All these things will backfired.”