New Zealand won the series 2-1 despite losing the opening game in Vadodara.
Legendary spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was blunt in his assessment of India’s first-ever home ODI series loss to New Zealand, saying the Shubman Gill-led side’s response to the challenge posed by the visitors looked "a bit flat" and felt the Kiwis had effectively won the series "3-0".
While the hosts kicked off the three-match series with a four-wicket victory in Vadodara, New Zealand bounced back to win the second ODI by seven wickets in Rajkot.
During the series-deciding third ODI in Indore, the tourists racked up a formidable 337/8 on the board and bundled out India for 296 to secure a 41-run win.
“Everything will be forgotten now. There is the T20 World Cup and the IPL now. So, if the environment is there, things will go accordingly. We all know this. But if the T20 World Cup does not go well and people do not perform in the IPL too, there will be pressure on them. But if everything goes well, this series will be forgotten. In my books, New Zealand won the series 3-0. They won two but threatened to win one more too, so it was actually a sweep," Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
"I thought if India even plays their B or C teams, they can beat sides. I am a little worried now that this has nothing to do with the team's quality. Looking from the outside, I think the Indian team's response has been a bit flat. That response is not there. Always, when the team has been put under pressure, the Indian team has found ways in the past and has shown that habit. I just felt that the response felt flat, and that was disappointing. I do not think we put them under pressure. We played very soft cricket," he added.
The result marked New Zealand’s maiden ODI series win on Indian soil. It came little over a year after the Black Caps handed India a 3-0 Test series defeat at home.
The two teams will now square off in a five-match T20I series, starting January 21 in Nagpur. The T20I series will be the final dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup 2026, slated to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.