A drama-filled third Test between India and New Zealand concluded with the tourists securing a first-ever series sweep in the Indian sub-continent. India looked on song to secure a pride-salvaging victory against the Kiwis till the time Rishabh Pant was batting but the wicket-keeper batter’s controversial dismissal shattered India’s batting unit like a pack of cards. In the process, New Zealand became the first team in the history of the game to beat India 3-0 in their own home in a 3-match series.
India first featured in a 3-match Test series when England toured the country back in the 1933-34 season. The match took place in the pre-Independence British era. India had suffered a 2-0 loss to the tourists in the series.
With the 3-0 series sweep against India, New Zealand became the fourth side to whitewash India in a series of 3+ Tests after England (4), Australia (3), and West Indies (once).
It is also the first-ever instance of New Zealand winning three Tests in a series, be it home or away. The Kiwis had also never won the first three Tests of a series away from home in their history.
India did well in the first innings, putting a total of 263 runs on the board after New Zealand were bowled out for 235 runs. In the second innings, India’s spin twins Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin bagged 8 wickets between them as the Blackcaps were bowled out for 174 runs.
However, the chase proved to be a tricky one for the Indian team. The hosts lost 5 wickets for just 29 runs after the likes of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Sarfaraz Khan departed for paltry scores.
Rishabh Pant was the sole carrier of India’s hopes, scoring 64 runs off 57 balls before a controversial dismissal saw him depart. R Ashwin and Washington Sundar looked to orchestrate a partnership but Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips had other ideas.