Michael Vaughan Warns India They Won't Be Called 'Great' Unless They Win Overseas

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan feels the current crop of Team India will not be considered a ‘great’ team until and unless they start winning overseas. His remarks came after India were bundled for just 242 runs in the second Test versus New Zealand.

By the time the umpires called stumps on Day 1, the Kiwis had already scored 63 without losing any wicket. India are clearly struggling to get a hold of conditions in New Zealand. They did whitewash the hosts 5-0 in the T20I series, but since then, the Black Caps have won the ODI series 3-0 and currently lead the Test series 1-0.

New Zealand gives India a lesson: Michael Vaughan

Since the T20I series, Virat Kohli’s men have lost four consecutive matches, and Vaughan said that unless the Indian team wins a series in New Zealand, or England, where the ball moves a lot, they will not be considered a great, no matter how many games they win at home.

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Taking to Twitter the 45-year-old cricketer-turned-commentator warned India that they won’t have a great legacy unless they start winning in England or New Zealand.

His post read: “NZ giving India a lesson in how to play in conditions where the ball moves through the air … They can’t be regarded as a great team till they start winning in places like NZ & England ..” 

The Indian batsmen were guilty of playing rash shots at the wrong time, and as such, they have themselves to blame for the meek performance of Day 1. Young Prithvi Shaw set the tone early but was dismissed after Tom Latham took a blinder at the second slip.

Pitch was fair: Hanuma Vihari

Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari were the only other batsmen who scored decent runs, while the rest of the lot struggled to get going.

The latter spoke in a press conference after the match and conceded that his side was at fault.

“They bowled in good areas and knew what to expect from this track. Prithvi set the tone, Pujara spent time. All dismissals happened at wrong time. None of the dismissals were because of the pitch. Mostly it was because of batsmen’s error. Pitch was fair,” Vihari told reporters.

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