In a remarkable feat that will be remembered in cricket history, New Zealand has become only the sixth visiting side to clinch a bilateral series win against India on Indian soil in Test format. This victory marks the Kiwi team’s 13th tour to the subcontinental nation, and it was a visit to remember. Prior to this achievement, New Zealand’s performances in India had been less than triumphant, managing to secure only two Test wins, the last of which occurred in November 1988.
Breaking down barriers is no simple task, and New Zealand’s recent triumph has ended an 18-series winning streak for India at home — a streak that continued unabated since the 2012/13 series when England managed a 2-1 win in a four-Test series. This run of successes at home was the longest for any team in history, comfortably surpassing Australia’s ten in separate periods.
Compounding the significance of New Zealand’s success is the stark reality of India’s struggles this year. India has now lost three or more home Tests in a single calendar year for only the third time. The previous instances were in 1969 — losing three to Australia and one to New Zealand — and in 1983 against the West Indies. Indeed, the 0-2 defeat to New Zealand was a rude awakening, following an earlier loss to England in Hyderabad.
The leadership of Rohit Sharma also comes under scrutiny, having faced four defeats in 15 home Tests as captain. He joins Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin, who share similar records, though still behind MAK Pataudi who endured nine losses at home.
Key to New Zealand’s success was the remarkable bowling performance by Mitchell Santner, whose stunning figures of 13 wickets for 157 runs (7/53 and 6/104 in the two innings respectively) were the third-best ever by a New Zealand bowler.
. His effort follows only the legendary Richard Hadlee’s 15/123 against Australia and Ajaz Patel’s 14/224 against India itself, both in iconic performances. To bring perspective, Santner’s feat also places him alongside Ajaz Patel and England’s Ian Botham, who achieved comparable or superior figures against India in the past.
Adding to Santner’s accolades, he achieved the second five-wicket haul in each innings for a New Zealand spinner after the great Daniel Vettori. Vettori’s feats against Australia in 2000 and Bangladesh in 2004 echo the significance of Santner’s accomplishment on Indian soil.
Yet, the spinners’ prowess was not limited to just the tourists. Indian bowler Washington Sundar matched the feat, taking 11 wickets for 115 runs, adding further layers to the contest. The match saw an impressive 37 wickets claimed by spinners, matching the record for the most in a Test on Indian soil with a fixture between the same teams back in 1969. This fascinating duel between spinners also marks the eighth such instance in cricket history where both teams had spinners taking ten-wicket hauls in the same match, with the previous one occurring in Galle in 2008.
Sundar’s impressive figures came agonizingly close to favoring India, yet they fell short, only elevated in their misfortune by Javagal Srinath’s 13/132 in a memorable battle against Pakistan in 1999.
While the series concluded with unexpected results, emerging batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal sparkled for India, accumulating 1056 runs in the calendar year, surpassing Gundappa Viswanath’s record from 1979. Jaiswal joins the elite club of players including Viswanath and Sunil Gavaskar as the only Indians to have exceeded the 1000-run mark in a single calendar year at home.
New Zealand’s victory serves as a hallmark of their tenacity and relentless pursuit in a sport dominated by historic giants, proving once more that with collective resolve and individual brilliance, even the highest of summits can be scaled.