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When Rohit Sharma's India blinked at home and NZ secured historic Test series win

Aakash Saini

Under Rohit Sharma, India lost to NZ at home [Source: AFP Photos]Under Rohit Sharma, India lost to NZ at home [Source: AFP Photos]

In sports, moments of glory and despair often coexist, as one team’s ecstasy is bound to become another team’s reckoning. Such was the case in late 2024, when India, long considered invincible at home, found themselves on the wrong side of history, at the hands of a spirited New Zealand team under the leadership of Tom Latham.

After getting blown away for just 46 and losing the match by eight wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Team India travelled to the MCA Stadium in Pune for the all-important second Test of the three-match series from October 24 onwards last year. As it turned out, a slightly-improved performance made little difference to India’s fortunes as they still lost the match by 113 runs, this time to record a rare series defeat at home.

When Team India got its fortress breached by NZ

In the second Test of India’s three-match home series against New Zealand in late 2024, the hosts lost the match after falling 103 runs short of the visitors at the halfway stage. Bowling first, Washington Sundar picked up figures of 7-59 as India bundled out New Zealand for 259.

A similar seven-fer from Mitchell Santner had India dusted out for just 156 in response. Emboldened with a 103-run lead, Tom Latham made 86 off 133 balls to guide New Zealand to 255 to set up a 359-run target for Rohit Sharma and co.

However, 245 was all India could manage in the run-chase despite Yashasvi Jaiswal’s whirlwind 77 at the top as they lost the match by 113 runs to fall 0-2 behind in the Test series.

The outcome marked India’s first Test series defeat at home since 2012, and put India at the brink of a potential early elimination from the 2023-25 WTC final race. As it transpired, Rohit Sharma and co. also lost the dead rubber in Mumbai the following week to concede a 0-3 victory to New Zealand, marking India’s first-ever Test whitewash at home.

The disastrous home defeat that marked the beginning of an end

The ripples of India’s home series whitewash at the hands of New Zealand extended far beyond the 0-3 scoreline, as the outcome also unsettled the core of India’s batting order at least for the next few months.

Then captain Rohit Sharma and all-format giant Virat Kohli struggled to score throughout the series, their dwindling returns reflecting a batting unit suddenly short on certainty and steel. The unexpected form slump carried over into the subsequent five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour of Australia, where continued failures of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli forced them both to announce their respective retirements from the format.