NEW DELHI: Legendary Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday shared his thoughts on India’s surprising 3-0 series defeat to New Zealand, labelling the outcome ‘a tough pill to swallow’.
Reflecting on the unexpected clean sweep on home soil, Tendulkar stressed that such a loss calls for serious introspection.
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“Losing 3-0 at home is a tough pill to swallow, and it calls for introspection. Was it lack of preparation, was it poor shot selection, or was it lack of match practice?” he asked.
Tendulkar praised individual performances, highlighting Shubman Gill’s resilience in the first innings and Rishabh Pant’s standout effort across the series.
“Shubman Gill showed resilience in the first innings, and Rishabh Pant was brilliant in both innings— his footwork made a challenging surface look like a different one altogether. He was simply superb,” he wrote on X.
Tendulkar lauded Pant’s adaptability and skill on the spin-friendly pitches, which allowed him to find rhythm where many of his teammates faltered.
While disappointed in India’s performance, Tendulkar extended his respect to New Zealand, commending their consistency and strategy.
“Full credit to New Zealand for their consistent performance throughout the series. Winning 3-0 in India is as good a result as it can get,” he noted.
New Zealand made history with a 3-0 series sweep over India, clinching the final Test with a nail-biting 25-run victory in Mumbai.
Chasing a tricky target of 147, India crumbled to 121 all out in 29.1 overs, unable to handle Kiwis’ disciplined bowling attack on a spinning pitch.
Ajaz Patel, the standout player for New Zealand, claimed six wickets in the match, including the crucial dismissal of Rishabh Pant, who had kept India in the game with a valiant 64.
Patel’s 11-wicket haul across both innings took the match away from India’s grip, especially at a venue where he famously took all 10 wickets in an innings in 2021.
This was India’s first-ever 3-0 Test series whitewash at home.