IND vs NZ: 3 key reasons for India’s collapse against spinners in first innings of Pune Test

IndiaThe batting line-up struggled in their first innings Day 2 of the second test against New Zealand in Pune on Friday (October 25). The hosts, resuming their innings at 16/1, could only reach 156 in reply to New Zealand’s first innings score of 259.

India’s collapse: Mitchell Santner’s 7 wickets lead the hosts

Mitchell Santner was the outstanding bowler, who took seven wickets for 53 runs, used the conditions effectively to confuse the Indian batsmen. Glenn Phillips provided support with two wickets, while Tim Southee he met another. The difficulty of India’s batting was evident as early wickets fell, including the captain’s Rohit Sharma for a duck once Virat Kohli just one. Despite a solid effort of 38 runs from Ravindra JadejaIndia failed to build a great partnership, it crumbled under constant pressure. New Zealand got a crucial lead of 103 runs in the first innings.

3 main reasons for India’s collapse of spinners in the first innings of the Pune Test:

1. Failure to adapt to vocal conditions

In the Pune Test, India’s batsmen appeared ill-prepared to deal with conditions that favored spin, particularly the level of spin and bounce produced by the New Zealand spinners, especially Santner. From the start of the innings, the pitch showed signs of shifting and turning sharply, yet India’s top-order and middle-order batsmen continued with their aggressive game plans. Instead of adapting to the surface by focusing on placing, rotating the claim, and taking more calculated risks, they played aggressively, often across the line, and misjudged Santner’s delivery, especially in an area that punished such mistakes.

2. Poor gun selection and over-reliance on power

India’s batsmen were decimated by a combination of poor shot selection and over-reliance on big shots, which played into the hands of New Zealand’s skilled bowlers. Santner and Phillips were able to control the pace of the game and came in quickly as the Indian batsmen repeatedly played sprawling shots across the line or tried to clear the wickets against good pitching. Rishabh Pant and Kohli, for example, succumbed to ill-timed attempts at boundary shots, which showed a tail sooner than expected. This lack of patience not only affected India’s scoring but also led to a slight dismissal which tilted the momentum in favor of the visitors.

READ MORE: Virat Kohli faces flak for going out of gear during second Test between India and New Zealand

3. Mitchell Santner’s inability to resist diversity

Santner used his experience and skill to his full potential, mixing his deliveries cleverly, varying both pace and pace, making it difficult for the Indian batsmen to settle. Santner’s use of straight arm balls and more bouncy deliveries caught the batsmen, leading to dismissals like Ravichandran Ashwin again Shubman Gill. The Indian batsmen seemed unable to read Santner’s subtle changes, which often fooled them in the air and off the field, revealing their lack of preparation to combat his unique style of spin. This allowed Santner to exploit their uncertainty and claim his best figures in Test cricket. Santner’s career-best 7/53 showed his power over different speeds, lengths, and degrees of spin to capitalize on India’s lack of responsiveness at long pressure.

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