Last Updated:
Rohit elaborated on the team’s batting struggles, emphasizing the importance of runs on the board to support the bowlers.
Rohit Sharma speaking at the post-match presentation
New Zealand defeated India by 113 runs in the second Test, securing a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. This marked India’s first home Test series defeat since 2012-13, when they lost to England 1-2. Captain Rohit Sharma chose not to single out individual batters for India’s series loss against New Zealand, instead urging them to ‘trust their plans’ to succeed against challenging opponents.
During the post-match press conference, Rohit expressed his belief in the team’s potential.
“I don’t doubt anyone’s ability. I won’t go into a detailed post-mortem, but batters need to develop their strategies and believe in them, as we saw with New Zealand’s approach,” he said.
Reflecting on India’s performance, he added, “It’s disappointing, not the outcome we expected. Credit to New Zealand; they outplayed us. We didn’t rise to the challenges presented.”
Rohit elaborated on the team’s batting struggles, emphasizing the importance of runs on the board to support the bowlers.
“To win a Test match, taking 20 wickets is essential, but we also need our batters to contribute with runs. Restricting them to around 250 in the first innings was a good effort, but the pitch didn’t offer much. Things could have looked different if we had gotten closer to their score in the first innings,” he explained.
Despite the series loss, Rohit pledged a stronger showing in the upcoming third Test in Mumbai.
“We aim to deliver a much-improved performance at the Wankhede. I view this defeat as a collective setback, not just the responsibility of the batters or bowlers. We’ll come out with renewed intent, better ideas, and improved methods for the final Test,” he added.
The series loss also impacted India’s journey in the World Test Championship, despite them holding the top position in the standings. Rohit acknowledged the implications of the defeat, admitting the emotional toll it took.
“I’m hurting because we lost the game. Right now, I can’t focus on the future or what this means for the WTC Final. We didn’t perform as we should have, and that’s painful. There are areas we need to address as a team,” he concluded.
