Rohit Sharma's tenure as captain faced another setback as New Zealand secured a historic 113-run victory over India in the 2nd Test in Pune, claiming their first-ever Test series win on Indian soil. With this win, New Zealand took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, ending India's unbeaten streak of 18 Test series at home.
Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner was the star of the match, achieving his maiden 10-wicket haul in a Test match. Santner dominated India's batting line-up, taking 7 wickets for 53 runs in the first innings, restricting India to a mere 156 runs. This performance gave New Zealand a significant lead of 103 runs.
Setting a target of 359 runs for India, New Zealand continued their dominance by dismissing the Indian team for 245 runs in the second innings, securing a historic victory. Santner's exceptional bowling display, claiming a total of 13 wickets in the match, earned him the Player of the Match award.
This defeat marked Rohit Sharma's fourth loss as captain in Test matches at home, putting him on par with former Indian captains Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin in terms of most defeats in Test matches at home. The loss against New Zealand in Pune was a significant blow for Rohit-led India, as it was their first Test series defeat at home since 2012-13 against England.
Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin both faced challenges as captains of the Indian cricket team, each losing four out of 20 Test matches at home. However, Rohit Sharma has quickly matched their record in just 14 Tests, now ranking joint second for the most Test defeats at home among Indian captains. He trails only Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who lost 9 Test matches on home soil.
Indian captains with most Test defeats at home
9 – Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
4 – Rohit Sharma*
4 – Mohammad Azharuddin
4 – Kapil Dev
3 – Bishan Bedi
3 – MS Dhoni
3 – Sourav Ganguly
3 – Sachin Tendulkar
In contrast, Virat Kohli, India's most successful Test captain, only suffered two losses at home during his tenure. Leading the team in 31 Test matches, Kohli's impressive record stands out. Similarly, MS Dhoni led India in 30 Tests at home, experiencing only three defeats. Despite leading in half the number of Test matches at home compared to Kohli and Dhoni, Rohit has already surpassed them in the unfortunate list of most Test defeats as captain.
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