Legendary spinner Anil Kumble was left disappointed by India’s performance against New Zealand in the Pune Test, which they lost by 113 runs to concede an unassailable 2-0 lead in three-match series.
This defeat also marked the end of India’s remarkable streak of 18 consecutive home Test series victories.
Kumble held the batting unit accountable for this debacle, saying that it was high time that the batters showed up after Indian bowlers had consistently taken 20 wickets in a Test match.
The 54-year-old further stated that the Indian team needed to get their act together before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
For now, India will look to salvage some pride and add crucial points to their WTC tally in the third Test against New Zealand, scheduled to be played in Mumbai from November 1.
"I think that's the beauty about WTC. I know the series is done for India, but then every Test match is equally important. They have obviously made it harder for themselves. At the start of the series, we spoke about getting five wins for you to really sail into the championship final. But now if you need those four wins in the next six matches, that becomes even tougher because the one is at the Wankhede Stadium against this extremely confident New Zealand side and then five against Australia in Australia," Kumble said on Jio Cinema.
"I know India has done really well in the last two series that they played in Australia but again it's all the more tougher for India to qualify, but they have to really get their act together. The batting has been disappointing. The bowling will have its challenges right throughout. The reason that India is on the top there is because Indian bowlers have been able to pick up those 20 wickets. The batting needs to come together and start getting those runs," he added.
The third Test against New Zealand 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.
