We review the third Test between India and New Zealand in Mumbai where Ajaz Patel bowled New Zealand to an incredible win.
Apple Podcasts
SpotifyTalking Points:
- Is this the finest Test series win of all time?
- New Zealand overcome great odds in dream sequence
- The categories of outrage accompanying an Indian defeat
- The potency of left-arm spin in India
- Ajaz Patel’s dream Test
- New Zealand’s bowlers strike gold on tricky pitch
- To attack or to defend: India’s batting dilemma
- Rohit Sharma’s aggressive approach
- India’s choice to not play four spinners in the final two Tests
- Ashwin v the sweeps: and what his length seems to suggest
- The intriguing possibilities ahead of the WTC final
Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Ashoka
Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack| ESPNcricinfo
Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)
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Buy books republished by 81allout:
War Minus the Shooting by Mike Marqusee
Cricket Beyond the Bazaar by Mike Coward
The Summer Game by Gideon Haigh
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Related:
- Black Caps’ unseen challenges on the way to whitewash of India – Andrew Voerman – Stuff.co.nz
- Why rank turners actually reduce India’s home advantage – Sidharth Monga – ESPNcricinfo
- India swept away by Ajaz Patel – Kartikeya Date – Cricketingview Substack
- A bad equilibrium – Harigovind S – Kohli and Kipling Substack
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Lead image from here.
Another fantastic podcast. I enjoyed the views. Ashoka in the end made a very good point on India choosing these kind of pitches over the previous (2016-19) kind pitches.
I’m also thinking about the same why the management wants to risk their chances on these type of pitches. May be because of the ageing bowling attack. They don’t want to play for 4/5 days regularly.
But India should stick to the decent wickets where “luck” factor comes pre dominantly for batting.
Gone are the days opponents bowlers bowling for more than 100-120 overs to get those 10 wicket of Indian batters. That involves a good edge for India over the opponent in many aspects like fitness, game plan, bowling attack effectiveness etc.
Hopefully India will take a logical call over all this. Thanks.
Firstly, Ashoka, what a fun guy. The Led Zeppelin analogy, my god. The type of fans—great listing. Even Gideon Haigh, in his substack, has written, ‘ This is a team containing great players grown comfortable, and young players whose most arduous fight has been getting into the team, and who since then have never experienced a real setback or disappointment on the cricket field at home.’ I guess he does not remember the WC final last November.
Last week, I posted a comment saying that after bowling them out on the first day, India often is 70 or 80 for one. In this match, they looked set to be doing that before those 8 horror balls. If Kohli survives, India probably makes 20 extra runs and maybe that is enough.
I have a few queries for KD, The Indore test of 2023 was also on a rank turner, what is the difference between that pitch and these two, I want to know because you said these pitches did not offer anything for pace bowlers, I remember Umesh spell in Indore where he got 3 wickets, so was that turner somewhat different or Siraj or Akashdeep are not the seamers India ideally need on these pitches, someone like Umesh is better, not saying he need to be recalled.
Second, why does Mumbai seem to crumble worst of all? 2004, 2006, and 2012, DK had said in the pitch report unlike last week, there is no chance of batting well here on the third day, what is the difference?
Lastly, not a question, just a comment: I don’t understand why Rohit always wants to start with two seamers. Even against England, he kept doing that. England used to be 40 for 0 in the first spell of fast bowlers. He changed that only in Ranchi’s second innings. We saw in Pakistan that you don’t need to give them pace at all. Batting and luck aside, I just don’t understand why they have gone for two seamers once they have asked for such a pitch. Also, India now is 6-5 in the last 12 home tests and 4 of 5 losses are on turners, while we had Chennai loss, it seems there is more evidence of this not working.
Sadly India who just last month for the first time had more wins than losses in their history again has more losses, and probably now will take 3-4 years to change that given the next 10 tests, if India wins 3 out of those 10, I would call it a success.