***Official New Zealand in India Nov-Dec 2021 Thread***

[SteveNZ]

Officially maybe off the back of a win in one off test.
But in real terms no way nz are the best team.
That'd be like claiming india were the best odi team after winning world cup in 1983 or Greece best football team in Europe after winning euro 2004.

Real champions back up their wins to establish legitimacy. That's what Australia did when they won odi world cups in 1999 and 2003 and 2007.

If nz were really the best team in the world they should have gotten at least a draw in this series considering india are minus five first choice players. But they have been dominated. Not to mention all the other holes in their record.

The wtc win is a good achievement but don't keep using that to flag nz's supposed superiority if they can't back it up.

I'm happy to concede we aren't the best side in the world. But a Test Championship was instated, we won it, and we are #1. Period.

 

[thierry henry]

Yeah look, it’s unclear who the best side is right now. All that’s clear is that we are the champions of 1877 - June 2021. Happy to accept the rest is up for grabs.

 

[honestbharani]

Pujara's struggles against SLA is definitely concerning now. Hopefully he finds his mojo soon coz otherwise, we can't really justify him at 3 either.

Also Thank God they made the right decision on the catch inspite of the foreshortening effect. I was worried they were gonna screw it up after all those replays. Even Pujara had walked off, lol.

 

[silentstriker]

Yeah I mean if you have something called a championship, and you win it, you’re certainly the number one until another team wins it. Regardless if on talent, you’re the best team. In sports in general, it happens very often that the best talented team doesn’t win the championship. They are still the champions if they lift that trophy.

 

[Burgey]

The supreme farce this match has become would be perfectly capped off if the MOTM judges gave it to Agarwal instead of the bloke who took ten in an innings.

 

[Immenso]

Why is no one getting a bowl except Southee and Patel?

Obviously, I understand why Patel is getting plenty of overs ... but why not find something out about Rachin in reasonably favourable conditions? At least get something from the wreckage.

No problem with Somers being banished to a 3rd man or wherever.

 

[h_hurricane]

The supreme farce this match has become would be perfectly capped off if the MOTM judges gave it to Agarwal instead of the bloke who took ten in an innings.

Agarwal's was an ATG innings just like Gooch's in Headingley. Will be remembered for ages to come.

 

[thierry henry]

Are we just bowling Ajaz to death to prove to CW posters that he’s not fat

 

[vandem]

... Also Thank God they made the right decision on the catch inspite of the foreshortening effect. I was worried they were gonna screw it up after all those replays. Even Pujara had walked off, lol.

Batter walking off after seeing the big screen replay doesn't always mean the 3rd umpire will agree.

Infamous incident a few years ago in an Aus vs NZ test where the a match official stopped the batter from crossing the boundary after he saw the hot spot mark on the big screen replay and walked, but the 3rd umpire eventually gave him not out, so he returned from boundary edge back to middle and resumed batting.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Credit due to the Kiwi fans here, who are basically watching their side getting a four day rectal palpation but seem to be keeping in reasonable humour about things.

We know if Kohli had enforced the follow on it would've been over in 2 1/3 days.

 

[Burgey]

Agarwal's was an ATG innings just like Gooch's in Headingley. Will be remembered for ages to come.

I don't remember Gooch's at Headingley.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Is Ravindra still a bit unwell? Give him some overs.

 

[Prince EWS]

Are we just bowling Ajaz to death to prove to CW posters that he’s not fat

Trying to let him take all 20.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

All 20 in a match and lose by 500 runs will be a great trivia question.

 

[honestbharani]

NZ trying to play Wagnerball without Wagner.

 

[Moss]

62 all out definitely embarrassing and will provide more fodder to the whole kiwi-batsmen-stat-padders-at-home narrative, but it should be a wake up call for NZ. It’s been a great run and excellent team, but there are cracks that can’t be papered over for too long.

Obviously the refusal to tinker with a first choice XI has worked well since 2013, but the 2019 series in Australia showed what happens if you go into a tour without much of a plan and bank on the formula to get you through. (What happened with Somerville here kind of reminds me of what happened to Ferguson on his test debut, in terms of inadequate build up.) Batting depth should be a concern now - losing 2 first choice players shouldn’t mean you end up moving Mitchell to 3.

No immediate answers from me other than organise more A tours, but one thing I would really like to see is more fringe players playing 50 overs to at least keep them attuned to the demands of internationals. Blundell for example has been around the scene since 2017 and is 31 now, by now should at least have played a bunch of ODIs rather than being just Watling’s understudy.

 

[Prince EWS]

NZ trying to play Wagnerball without Wagner.

Somerville was trying it in the first innings too.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Lol pls be a repeat of the first innings

 

[honestbharani]

Lol pls be a repeat of the first innings

IF you mean inside edge on to pad, it is. Just that the umpire on field got it right this time.

 

[OverratedSanity]

The supreme farce this match has become would be perfectly capped off if the MOTM judges gave it to Agarwal instead of the bloke who took ten in an innings.

Damn, imagine how good agarwal had to be to get 150 against a guy that took 10fer