3 Reasons Why Team India Succumbed to New Zealand at Home

Team India lost yet another series at home. They were outplayed by the Kiwis, who, even with their second-fiddle side, managed to trounce India in India for the first time in a series in ODI history. The recently concluded series will go down as a historic setback for Indian cricket. For the first time in ODI history, the Kiwis managed to defeat India in a bilateral series on Indian soil. What makes the loss even more stinging is that New Zealand achieved this feat with a second-string side, missing several of their frontline stars. Yet, they outplayed India in all departments, exposing glaring weaknesses in the home team. Here are three key reasons why India faltered.

Over-reliance on Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, throughout the series, proved once again why he is the undisputed king of cricket. The champion batter accumulated 240 runs from 3 innings in the series, which included a fifty and a hundred as well. Kohli did what he has been doing over the years for Indian cricket. But what about coach Gautam Gambhir’s favorites who have been playing in the side for quite some time now and are yet to deliver?

Shubman Gill, the forced poster boy of Indian cricket imposed by Gambhir, did score two fifties in the series, but what about performing in crunch situations? Greatness is contagious, but it has to be earned and can’t be served on a platter. The same goes for the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja as well, who did nothing worth remembering with the bat in the series.

Yes, it wasn’t a series to remember for Rohit Sharma, but in the twilight phase of his career, if you are still relying on Rohit to deliver goods, then what are the other batters in the team exactly doing? Are they not even good enough to perform at home? This is something that has to be monitored sooner rather than later.

Is this the best pace attack for Team India?

Where is Jasprit Bumrah? Where is Mohammed Shami? Is this the best pace bowling line-up the country has? Mohammed Siraj was economical throughout the series, but where are the wickets in his kitty? Harshit Rana is doing a bit with the new ball but has been taken to the cleaners in the slog overs. What’s the role of Prasidh Krishna in this team? Is he just there to make Gautam Gambhir’s favorite, Harshit Rana, look good with the ball?

Everyone can sense there’s something fishy in the team across formats ever since Gautam Gambhir took over the role of head coach. Bumrah has been sidelined from the ODI squad for quite some time now, and nobody even noticed. The premier Indian pacer hasn’t played an ODI since the 2023 World Cup final in the name of managing workload. If you want to rest Bumrah from one specific format, then what wrong has Mohammad Shami done to remain sidelined from the 50-over format? He is fit, playing domestic (the thing Gambhir wants from all his players except for his favorites, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana); in fact, he has been spitting fire in domestic cricket, and then what does he get? No reckoning for a place in the ODI team.

Shami finished as the highest wicket-taker in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He has been in a rage and still couldn’t find a place in the team, even when Bumrah is getting managed for his workload. The Indian team is in deep waters courtesy of Gambhir’s arrogance and stubbornness.

Was it too early for Shubman Gill to get the ODI captaincy?

The decision to hand Shubman Gill the ODI captaincy has sparked debate, with many questioning whether it came too soon in his career. Gill hasn’t had the start he would have loved for his ODI captaincy stint. The 26-year-old is yet to win an ODI series as captain, having lost to Australia 2-1 down under and a 2-1 loss in this series as well.

Leadership is not everyone’s cup of tea. At the international level, captaincy demands far more than individual performances. At just 26, Gill is still carving his identity in the team, and while he has the temperament to succeed, the burden of captaincy could weigh heavily on his consistency as a batter. India’s ODI setup already has senior figures like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, whose experience in handling pressure and guiding youngsters is invaluable. By thrusting Gill into the captaincy role prematurely, the management risks unsettling both his batting rhythm and the team’s balance.

Leadership requires tactical acumen, man-management skills, and the ability to inspire under pressure, qualities that often mature with time and exposure. I mean, Gill hasn’t been a proven leader in the IPL and is yet to win a Test series against a team other than West Indies. Grooming Gill gradually into leadership might have been a wiser path than throwing him straight into the hot seat.