A star-studded Indian team was given a reality check by a disciplined New Zealand side that completed a memorable series sweep with a seven-wicket win inside three days in the second Test here on Monday.New Zealand chased down a modest victory target of 132 in just 36 overs after India's second innings folded for 124 in less than an hour on the third day.
Tom Latham (52 off 74 balls) and Tom Blundell (55 off 113 balls) had a good batting session as Mohammed Shami didn't bowl post lunch due to a ball-impact injury while batting.A solid 120 points took New Zealand's tally to 180 even as India stayed on top with 360 points courtesy their series wins against the lowly West Indies, depleted South Africa and a below-par Bangladesh.
The feel good factor of a 5-0 T20 series victory seemed like ancient history as a dream start turned into a virtual nightmare for Virat Kohli's bunch that has always taken immense pride in performing in overseas conditions.
However, a look at India's overseas performance indicates that whenever the ball had swung and seamed, reputations had been laid in tatters. It happened in England in 2014 and 2018 and now New Zealand have exposed them one more time. More than the margin, the manner of surrender will come back to haunt the current Indian team, which leaves this part of the world with a lot of unanswered questions.
