New Zealand completed an unprecedented 3-0 series sweep in India as the Black Caps dismissed the hosts for 121 on a tricky wicket to secure a 25-run victory on day three of the third and final test in Mumbai on Sunday.
The last time India were blanked at home was in 2000, in a two-match series against South Africa, and Rohit Sharma’s side will be feeling the pressure ahead of a challenging five-match series against Australia starting later this month.
Rishabh Pant was the lone Indian batsman to show resistance as he made a sublime 64 after the hosts were reduced to 29-5 on a turning Wankhede Stadium track. Ajaz Patel, the player of the match, claimed 6-57 – his second five-wicket haul in the match – while fellow spinner Glenn Phillips took 3-42 to help skittle the hosts again.
“It’s seriously special first of all to win a test match here at this historic ground but also to win a series 3-0,” said Daryl Mitchell, who scored 82 in the first innings. “It’s something you dream of. To come over here and actually achieve it is pretty special against a world class Indian team … we’re just a bunch of Kiwis taking on the world.”
The tourists won the opening match in Bengaluru by eight wickets for their first test victory in India in 36 years, and wrapped up the series in Pune with a 113-run win. New Zealand’s maiden series triumph in India going back to 1955 also broke the hosts’ streak of 18 successive home series triumphs since a 2-1 loss to England in 2012.
Sharma threw the first punch by stepping out of his crease to hit Matt Henry for a four in the opening over of the day, but the skipper’s disappointing recent run of form continued as he fell for 11 after a rash shot against the same bowler. Patel made it two wickets in two overs as Shubman Gill, who had scored a splendid 90 in the first innings, left a ball that crashed into the stumps and departed for one.
Virat Kohli did not last long as he edged Patel back to slip on one to leave India in trouble at 18-3 on a tricky Wankhede Stadium pitch. The crowd fell silent again as Yashasvi Jaiswal was trapped lbw for five by Glenn Phillips and Sarfaraz Khan hit a full toss from Patel straight to Rachin Ravindra in the deep on one.
Ravindra Jadeja steadied the ship alongside Pant in a 42-run stand, but a stunning catch by Will Young left India on the ropes at 71-6. Patel dismissed Pant following a New Zealand review after lunch, although the batsman appeared to suggest that he had not made contact with the ball before it was caught. The runs dried up after that and India collapsed in a heap with Washington Sundar the last to go while looking to go big.
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Sharma said: “Losing a series, losing a test match is never easy. It’s not easily digested. But we didn’t play our best cricket and we accept that. New Zealand played better than us throughout. There were a lot of mistakes that we made, we accept it … as a captain, I wasn’t at my best leading the team and with the bat as well.”
New Zealand resumed their second innings on 171-9 earlier, but India needed only 14 balls to bowl the Black Caps out, as Jadeja had Patel caught in the deep to end with 5-55, after bagging five in the first stanza.
