India vs NZ: Five things we learnt from the Test series

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  • Virat Kohli's captaincy has been impressive

    With a triumphant win over New Zealand by a huge margin at Indore, India won the series 3-0 having also reclaimed the number one spot in Tests. There were some very special performances by the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane who were ultimately the architects of the series win.

    Here are five things we learnt from India’s series win over New Zealand:

    INDIA ALMOST UNBEATABLE AT HOME

    Cricket is perhaps the sport where home advantage plays the most powerful role. The issue of home advantage has been much discussed and hotly debated everywhere without much consensus. What one cannot deny, however, is the fact that it is here to stay.

    New Zealand have quite a portent outfit but in Indian conditions, they were no match for the home side. The Kiwis looked hopelessly out of sorts and were thoroughly outplayed in every department throughout the series. The fact that they could never put up much of a resistance was disappointing.

    Although the first two Tests largely remained low-scoring affairs, it was the bowling which ultimately made the difference. The Indian spinners operated at a different level and Ashwin ran through the opposition on quite a few occasions.

    Given the form of the Indian spinners and difficulty faced by the travelling batsmen against spin, it might be very difficult to beat India in Tests in this long home season.

    PUJARA TOO GOOD FOR THE BENCH

    Before the start of the series, there were some question marks over the place of Cheteshwar Pujara with some suggesting that he would have to fight it out with Rohit Sharma for a place in the side. But strong domestic performances helped Pujara earn his place as Kohli chose to go in with six genuine batsmen in the series.

    The decision was vindicated as both Pujara and Rohit justified their places in the side by scoring heavily in the series. But it was Pujara who seemed to reclaim the number three slot and put all doubts over him firmly to rest thanks to his remarkable performance in the series.

    Even when batsmen tried to score freely in the second innings at Indore, Pujara was the pivot around which the batting revolved as he scored a brilliant century. With that one century and three half-centuries, he finished as the top run scorer in the series having made 373 runs at an average of 74.60.

    ASHWIN REACHES A NEW LEVEL

    There is no denying the fact that Ravichandran Ashwin, ever since his debut, has always been one of the most successful Indian bowlers. But the recently concluded series simply confirms that he has now reached a whole new level.

    After briefly struggling for form for some time, Ashwin 2.0 looks more agile and unplayable when he runs through the opposition’s batting. As he took career-best figures of 7 for 59 in the second innings of the third Test, he ran through the opposition line-up with batsmen looking clueless against him.

    Declared the Man of the Series for his 27 wickets, the pace at which Ashwin is picking up wickets in Tests is frightening. Apart from bolstering his formidable tally, his performances have struck fear in the hearts of visiting batsmen set to tour India in the near future.

    KOHLI GROWS FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

    Ever since he took over the Test captaincy from MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli has achieved wonders with the team. Now Kohli’s men have scaled new heights at home.

    As a captain, Kohli has brought about a refreshing change with his proactive and dynamic leadership. He always seems to be involved and expressive, bringing in positive bowling or fielding changes that have almost always worked for him.

    The fact that he is in very good form with the bat also helps him lead from the front. Even when he found that he was getting out cheaply in the first two matches, he showed tremendous application to score a double hundred in the third Test at Indore.

    The Kohli-Kumble partnership has so far achieved instant success and with them at the helm, Indian cricket seems to be in safe hands at the moment.

    INDIAN CRICKET ENTERS A NEW ERA

    There was a time when it was impossible to think of Indian cricket without the Big Four. As the quartet – with their larger-than-life personalities – dominated the world stage, an era after their retirement was considered with a sense of perpetual dread.

    The most heartening thing for Indian fans is that Indian cricket has gone through a period of transition is now doing well once again. In Pujara, Kohli, Ajinyka Rahane and Rohit Sharma, the team now boasts of a formidable middle order.

    Wriddhiman Saha had a great series both with the bat and behind the stumps, and in Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, India have put together a powerful bowling unit. India seem to have found a strong and settled core group of players who can serve the team for years to come.

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