Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has urged India to “introspect” after their disappointing 0-3 Test series loss to New Zealand at home. Alongside this call for reflection, Tendulkar praised Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill for their performances in the third Test in Mumbai.
Shubman Gill played an impressive 90 off 146 balls in India’s first innings, which became the highest score of the match and one of his best Test innings.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant stood out in both innings. The wicketkeeper-batter scored a quick 60 off 59 balls in the first innings and followed it up with a solid 64 off 57 balls in the second.
Sachin Tendulkar shared his thoughts on social media, expressing concern over India’s unexpected defeat. He called for introspection and questioned what caused such a poor performance at home.
“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?” Tendulkar posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Throughout the series, India’s shot selection has been questioned. The batters often played too aggressively rather than adapting to the demands of Test cricket.
On the final day, captain Rohit Sharma played a poor shot, trying to pull a ball from Matt Henry, only to top-edge it to Glenn Phillips. Sarfaraz Khan also fell to a full toss, hitting it straight to midwicket.
While Tendulkar criticized India’s performance, he also commended Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant for standing out under pressure on a challenging pitch. Tendulkar congratulated New Zealand for their impressive overseas win as well.
“@ShubmanGill showed resilience in the first innings, and @RishabhPant17 was brilliant in both innings—his footwork made a challenging surface look like a different one altogether. He was simply superb. 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,” Tendulkar posted on X.
Gill and Pant’s performances are promising for India’s future. Both are young and expected to play significant roles in Indian cricket.
However, India will need to make some changes before the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Following the loss to New Zealand, the five Tests in Australia will be critical to India’s hopes of qualifying for the WTC final.
