India captain Rohit Sharma was shocked and disappointed as New Zealand won the third and final Test in Mumbai by 25 runs and earned a historic 0-3 whitewash over the hosts. India was white-washed at home in a Test series for the first time since 2000.

New Zealand had set India a target of 147 runs to win the Test and salvage some pride. New Zealand had already won in Bengaluru and Pune to pocket the series and it was a chance for India to avoid a rare white-wash at home.

However, the top order just folded against New Zealand spinners, barring Rohit Sharma, who got out to Matt Henry.

Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips spun a web around Yashasvi Jaiswal (5), Virat Kohli (1), Shubman Gil (1), Sarfaraz Khan (1), and Ravindra Jadeja (6). Rishabh Pant looked good for his 57-ball 62 runs as he ignited hope for India to win this Test and avoid a 0-3 Test series loss.

However, he fell to Ajaz Patel as well, and soon after the Indian team folded for 121 runs, losing the match by 25 runs in Mumbai and the series 0-3.

India captain Rohit Sharma said that the Test series loss was indigestible and stated that the team accepted that they made a lot of mistakes.

“Yeah, absolutely, you know, losing a series, losing a Test is never easy, it's something that's not easily digestible. Again, we didn't play our best cricket, we know and we have to accept. They (New Zealand) did so much better than us throughout the series. We made a lot of mistakes and we'll have to accept it,” Rohit said in the post-match presentation.

He opened up about batting failures in both the Bengaluru and Pune Tests.

“We didn't put enough runs on the board in the 1st innings (in Bengaluru and Pune) and we were very much behind in the game, here, we got a 30-run lead, we thought we were ahead, and the target was achievable as well, all we had to do was to show a bit of application which we failed to do. Chasing such a target, you want runs on the board as well, that's something that was there in my mind (on his batting today), it didn't come off and when it happens, it doesn't look great. There are certain ideas, certain plans in my mind when I go to bat, but in this series, it didn't come off and that's disappointing for me,” Rohit added.

Rohit Sharma also spoke about Indian batters’ inability to play spin on turn-conducive wickets and stated that it was disappointing and hurtful.

‘Those guys showed how to bat on these surfaces (on Pant, Jaiswal, and Gill), you've got to be slightly ahead and be proactive when we play on a pitch like that we are playing on such pitches in the last 3-4 years, we know how to play (and play well). But this series, it didn't come off, certain things (on how to bat in such pitches) which didn't come off, and that's going to hurt,” he added.

Rohit Sharma also admitted that he wasn’t at his best in this series, both with the bat and as a captain.

“From a personal point of view, I wasn't at my best with both bat and as a captain, that's something that'll rankle me. But, we didn't perform well collectively and that's the reason for these losses,” he signed off.

(JioCinema inputs)