IND vs NZ: Dinesh Karthik blames Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for test series loss

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both had dismal returns with the bat in the Pune test.

India’s 12-year dominating home test series winning streak came to an end after their shocking loss to New Zealand in Pune, which followed the loss in Bengaluru.

New Zealand’s thumping 113-run victory in the second test saw them seal the three-match series 2-0. The Kiwis outplayed the hosts in both batting and bowling on their home turf, breaking the 18-home test series winning streak of the Asian giants.

Senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggled to make an impact in both innings. Rohit, opening for India, was dismissed for a duck in the first innings and could only manage eight runs in the second innings.

Kohli, batting at No. 4, faced a similar slump, scoring just one run in the first innings and 17 in the second. Poor returns from the senior batting duo meant New Zealand dismissed India cheaply in both of their innings.

Dinesh Karthik’s take on the series loss

Following India’s historic loss, former Indian wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik shared his candid views on Cricbuzz, emphasizing that senior players should take responsibility for the setback.

Karthik, who spent a lot of time with the likes of Kohli, Rohit and Ashwin in the Indian dressing room, said that the senior players need to reflect on their performances after the series loss.

“Yeah, why shouldn’t it be on senior players? They will look at themselves and say, ‘What could we have done better?’ I don’t think they will run away from it, If you can celebrate the highs, and the fans enjoy, and how important they are when the team wins, then when the losses happen, and the brickbats are thrown at you, I think they will have the courage to face it.” Karthik said emphasizing that the senior players will take the criticism for the series defeat.

“If you go and ask each one of them personally what they think of this series, I don’t think they will have great things to say about how the whole team has played. It is only fair to ask them questions about what can be done better for the future of Test cricket in India, and Indian Test cricket. The question then becomes, what do they need to do to do better? And it is a very, very correct question to ask.” Karthik concluded.

The test series loss against New Zealand has put a huge dent to India’s contention for the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 final. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 will prove to be decisive for the Asian giant’s trophy pursuit.

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