India’s remarkable streak of 18 consecutive home series ended with the Pune Test defeat.
Team India suffered an embarrassing 113-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the second Test match at the MCA Stadium, Pune on Saturday (October 26). With this loss, India’s remarkable streak of 18 consecutive home Test series victories came to an end.
After the result, Pakistan cricketer Ahmad Shahzad hilariously trolled the Indian team, saying that the Kiwis pulled a prank on the Rohit Sharma-led side.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Shahzad said, "New Zealand have come to India and thrashed them as if they had the right to do so, beating them like kids and walking away. They’ve pulled a prank on India. People are now saying, 'Kagaz ke sher, aur ghar mein dher' (Tigers on paper, crumbled at home)."
"When India were bowled out for 46 runs (in the first Test), Rohit Sharma had said, 'Everyone has a bad day.' And we accept that. Absolutely fair. But in this Test match too, the way you’ve played cricket, it seems like you’ve become complacent. Rohit Sharma says that they don’t believe in unnecessary talk, but that spirit was missing in the last two Tests. These two matches have been played in a way that makes it seem like schoolboys were playing," he added.
Mitchell Santner starred with ball in New Zealand’s series-clinching victory in Pune. The left-arm spinner delivered a sensational 7-53 in India’s first innings and returned with the figures of 6-104 in the second essay.
The third Test against New Zealand, slated to be held in Mumbai from November 1, has become a must-win for India to stay in the WTC final race. The Rohit Sharma-led side will next travel to Australia for the five-match Test series.
Losing the New Zealand series 3-0 will make life rather difficult for India as they need at least four wins in the remaining six Tests and will need to depend on other teams to qualify for the WTC final.