MUMBAI, December 6
India’s spinners once again bared their fangs, sealing a record 372-run victory against New Zealand in the second and final Test at the Wankhede Stadium today to secure a 14th consecutive series triumph at home.
It was the biggest margin of victory by runs for India in a home Test, eclipsing their 337-run win against South Africa in New Delhi in 2015.
The 1-0 victory meant India have not lost a home series since their 2-1 defeat to England in 2012 and it also helped Virat Kohli’s side reclaim the top spot in the Test rankings, pushing New Zealand to second.
With the series victory, the hosts also avenged their loss to New Zealand in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in Southampton in June.
Rahul Dravid, the side’s newly-appointed head coach, said the score did not reflect how hard India had to work for the series win after the first Test in Kanpur ended in a draw. “I know this result looks a bit one-sided but right through the series we’ve been made to work hard,” he said. “There have been phases of the game where we’ve been behind and had to fight back. Credit to the team for pulling themselves out of some difficult positions.”
Headaches ahead
While the series will definitely be a confidence-booster, at the same time, everyone knows what awaits in South Africa and the most pressing issue will be the lack of form of three key batters in skipper Kohli, his vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and No. 3 Cheteshwar Pujara. On current form, all three can’t be accommodated in the playing 11 especially with Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill showing good form. There are some tough selection calls to be taken. — Agencies
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