India "Made Things Harder": Kumble On India's WTC Final Qualification

Former cricketer Anil Kumble reacted to India's disappointing defeat to New Zealand in the second Test of the series in Pune, stating that India's batting has let the hosts down. Tom Latham's New Zealand side made history by defeating Rohit Sharma's team by 113 runs at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Saturday, securing their first-ever series win in India. This loss marks India's first home Test series defeat since 2012, ending an 18-series unbeaten streak--the longest home winning sequence for any team.

New Zealand now leads the three-match series 2-0, with the final game set for November 1 at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium.

Speaking to Jio Cinema, Kumble highlighted the significance of each Test match for India's journey to the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

"I think that's the beauty of the WTC. Although the series is over for India, each Test match remains crucial. They've made things harder for themselves. At the start of the series, we talked about needing five wins to comfortably reach the championship final. But now, with four wins required from the next six matches, it's even tougher, especially with one game against this confident New Zealand side at Wankhede and five more in Australia," Kumble said.

He praised India's bowling attack and noted that they still top the WTC points table due to the bowlers' ability to claim 20 wickets in the series. However, he emphasised the need for India's batters to start scoring.

"India have done exceptionally well in their last two series in Australia, but qualifying now is even more challenging. They need to get their act together. The batting has been disappointing, and though the bowling will continue to face challenges, India are at the top because their bowlers have consistently taken those 20 wickets. The batting needs to step up and deliver runs," he added.

In the match, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat. Half-centuries from Devon Conway (76 off 141 balls, with 11 fours) and Rachin Ravindra (65 off 105 balls, with five fours and a six) placed New Zealand in a commanding position at 197/3, with Ravichandran Ashwin (3/41) being the only bowler to make an early impact. After Conway's dismissal, Washington Sundar (7/59) exploited the momentum, cleaning up the tail to bowl New Zealand out for 259.

India faced the task of surpassing this modest total to secure a lead. However, after Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck, youngsters Shubman Gill (30 off 72 balls, with two fours and a six) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (30 off 60 balls, with four boundaries) only managed a 49-run partnership. Gill's dismissal allowed Mitchell Santner to dominate the Indian lineup, taking 7/53, with Glenn Phillips (2/26) assisting, to bowl India out for just 156, Ravindra Jadeja top-scoring with 38 off 46 balls (three fours, two sixes).

In their second innings, New Zealand capitalised on their 103-run lead. An impressive 86 from skipper Tom Latham (133 balls, 10 fours), supported by contributions from Phillips (48 off 82 balls, four boundaries, two sixes) and Tom Blundell (41 off 83 balls, three fours), set India a daunting target of 359 runs after being bowled out for 255 in the first session of day three.

Sundar (4/56) led the Indian bowling attack, while Jadeja (3/72) and Ashwin (2/97) took charge of the lower-middle order and tail.

Chasing 359, India began strongly with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who shared a 62-run partnership with Shubman Gill (23 off 31 balls, four boundaries). However, following Jaiswal's dismissal for 77 off 65 balls (nine fours, three sixes), India struggled against the Kiwi spinners and were bowled out for 245, resulting in a 113-run defeat. This series loss marks India's first home series defeat in 12 years.

Santner, with a remarkable 13 wickets in the match (6/104 in the second innings), emerged as the standout performer, while Phillips and Ajaz Patel contributed to finish the Test two days early.