India hit a record low in their recently concluded Test series against New Zealand. For what no one expected, India suffered a humiliating whitewash, their first at home of three or more series. They did fight in all of the three matches but were simply outplayed by the New Zealand side.
India’s World Test Championship final chances have now also taken a major dent with the 3-0 sweep. They were sitting easily at the top of the tree with a PCT of 74.24. But three losses have put them to second place, sinking their PCT to 58.33.
India are set to tour Australia for a high-octane Border-Gavaskar series this month and it will be a huge task for them to reach the WTC finals as they have to win by 4-0 to remain self-dependent in the race to the summit clash.
Meanwhile, Australia quick Josh Hazlewood thinks the series whitewash might have awakened a sleeping giant ahead of the BGT. “It might awaken a sleeping giant, so to speak,” Hazlewood told The Sydney Morning Herald.
He added that the series whitewash is better than India winning 3-0 as it might have dented their confidence. “We’ll see that when they come out. It’s obviously better for them to lose 3-0 than win 3-0, easily. The confidence might have taken a bit of a hit. A lot of them have been out here, but there are a few batters who haven’t, so they’ll be a bit unsure of what to expect. I don’t think you can read too much into it. The results are obviously good for us in a way,” he added.
The speedster heaped praise on New Zealand for doing the unthinkable. “Credit to the Kiwi boys. They played outstanding cricket. To win 3-0 in India is unbelievable. It’s hard enough to win one game there, let alone every match of the series,” he said.
He also stressed that the upcoming BGT might give the best TV ratings. “It’s just a huge series. Every time we play India, it’s right up there with the Ashes. I think the crowds will be massive. I think the TV ratings could be huge. (There is talk) it could be the biggest ever,” he said.