Rohit Sharma blames Virat Kohli & other batters after India's rare Test series loss at home

Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has expressed his disappointment after suffering a rare Test series loss to New Zealand following a crushing 113-run defeat in the second Test at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Saturday, October 16.

It was the fourth defeat in 15 home Tests for Rohit Sharma as captain. The New Zealand cricket team played stunning cricket across the first two Tests and clinched their first Test series on Indian soil after winning the Bengaluru Test by eight wickets and the Pune Test by 113 runs.

Rohit Sharma admits 'Collective Failure' after rare Test series loss to New Zealand at home

New Zealand etched their name into cricket history by clinching their first-ever Test series victory on Indian soil, pulling off one of the most monumental upsets of the century.

India hadn’t tasted series defeat at home since 2012, but the young Kiwi side demonstrated grit and resilience, defying all predictions to clinch the ongoing three-match Test series by taking a 2-0 lead against the hosts.

As New Zealand overjoyed with their historic feat, the Indian skipper admitted that they didn’t expect such an outcome, but he gave credit to the Kiwis for their historic victory. Rohit said that the tourists played better cricket than India, who failed to respond to the challenges and lost the series.

I don't think we batted well enough to get runs on the board: Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma said at the post-match presentation, “Disappointing. It's not what we expected. Got to give credit to NZ—they played better than us. We failed to capitalize on certain moments. We failed to respond to those challenges. And we sit here today.”

The senior opener further blamed the Indian batters for losing their first home Test series since 2012. Rohit avoided blaming the Pune pitch as he felt the batters didn’t meet expectations while giving credit to the New Zealand bowlers for restricting them to 259 from 200/3.

He further noted, “I don't think we batted well enough to get runs on the board. You've got to pick 20 wickets to win, yes, but batters have to put runs on the board. It was a great fightback to restrict them to 250-odd, but we knew it was going to be challenging. When they started off, they were 200/3, and for us to come back and get them bowled out for 259 was a great effort. Wasn't a pitch where a lot was happening. We just didn't bat well enough.”

We will come out with better intent and ideas at Wankhede: Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma also lamented at not being able to take their first innings close to the Kiwi’s score, as he could have made some difference in the Pune Test. In the end, the captain said that it was a collective failure and promised to come back with better ideas and better methods in the third and final Test against New Zealand.

Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium will be hosting the third and final Test between India and New Zealand from November 1, 2024. After this home series, India will travel to Australia for the five-match Test series.

He signed off by saying, “Things would've been slightly different had we gotten a bit closer in the first inning. We want to show up well at Wankhede and try and win that test. It's a collective failure. I'm not somebody who would blame just the batters or the bowlers. We will come out with better intent, better ideas, and better methods at Wankhede.”