NZ v IND 2020: Test championship points table sees major shift after India's 2-0 series loss

New Zealand bagged 120 points from the two-match series with wins in Wellington and Christchurch.

New Zealand won the Test series 2-0 | GettyIndia's first series defeat in the inaugural World Test Championship cycle, a 2-0 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand, resulted in a major shift in the nine-team league points table as the Black Caps leapfrogged England to be now positioned third. 

India retained its top spot despite going down heavily in Wellington and Christchurch, having whitewashed West Indies, South Africa and Bangladesh before this tour. 

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Test championship points table | screengrab/ICCThe Kiwis, on the other hand, bagged full 120 points from the two-match series to significantly improve their chances in the competition. 

From the Indian team's perspective, this was the third overseas series loss under Virat Kohli's captaincy tenure, and arguably his team's worse till date. 

"It was a matter of not having enough intent in the first game, and not closing out here," Kohli told reporters. "We didn’t bowl in the right areas for long enough. They created a lot of pressure. It was a combination of us not executing well enough and New Zealand sticking to their plans. The batsmen didn’t do enough for the bowlers to try and attack."

“Disappointing, have to go back to the drawing board and correct things going forward. Toss (Indian team lost it on both occasions), you could think about it being a factor, but we don’t complain," he added. "It did give extra advantage to the bowlers in each Test but as an international side, you’re expected to understand that."

"We accept it upfront and if we have to win away from home, we have to do that. No excuses, just learning moving forward."

India next travels to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and then hosts England for a five-Test series in the ongoing Test Championship cycle. 

The league's marquee final is scheduled to be played at Lord's in June 2021. 

(Inputs from HT)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 02 Mar, 2020

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