New Delhi: Team India skipper Rohit Sharma was slammed for his comments following India’s 113-run defeat against New Zealand in the 2nd Test in Pune on Saturday. It was India’s second loss on the trot as they conceded an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. New Zealand created history by clinching their maiden Test series victory on Indian soil.
Speaking at the post-match press conference in Pune, Rohit highlighted India’s dominance in Tests at home in the last 12 years and said one series defeat doesn’t raise an alarm. India headed into the Test series against New Zealand as favourites having thrashed Bangladesh 2-0 in their last Test assignment at home.
However, the Kiwis trapped the hosts in their own backyard to hand them a reality check with back-to-back wins in the first two Tests. New Zealand brought an end to a 36-year-long wait for their first Test victory in India in the series opener in Bengaluru before sealing the series with another thumping victory in the 2nd Test in Pune on Saturday to win their maiden Test series on Indian soil.
The series defeat ended India’s remarkable streak of 18 Test series victories at home, raising concerns about the team’s performance heading into the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia Down Under. However, Rohit played down the magnitude of the series defeat, stating that India should be allowed to lose a Test series at home in 12 years.
“We have lost only 2 games. We have won so many matches in India, where batters have played well in bad pitches, why are we not focusing on that? This is the first time that we have collapsed. 12 saal me ek baar to allowed hai yaar. If we were collapsing since 12 years, we would have not won anything,” Rohit said in the post-match presser.
“12 saal mai ek baar toh allowed hai yaar” 😭
“Ye aadat humne hi banayi hai 12 saal mai”
You’ve lost 4 tests in last 11 home Test Matches 😭😭 @ImRo45 have some shame pic.twitter.com/ym3RWn5mwW
— Gaurav (@Melbourne__82) October 26, 2024
However, the Indian skipper’s comments didn’t go down well with the fans, who slammed him left, right and centre for making excuses and showcasing a poor mentality after a rare home series defeat. Rohit was heavily criticised for his statement with some fans even demanding his resignation.
Rohit Sharma gets slammed for his post-match comments after defeat against New Zealand:
From “winning has to be obsession” to “12 saal mai ek baar toh allowed hai yar” https://t.co/bepVPwXFWk
— tea_addIct 🇮🇳 (@on_drive2306) October 26, 2024
“12 saal mai ek baar toh allowed hai yaar”
It’s utterly embarrassing that this guy ended up being the Captain of our National Cricket team!!! #RohitSharma
pic.twitter.com/L4HFFRdW9K— Jyotirmay Das (@dasjy0tirmay) October 26, 2024
“12 saal mai ek baar harna chalta hai yrr”
Nice excuse 👍🤡,
This is the mindset of our captain.This was not a casual defeat @ImRo45!
It took 10yrs to built this team and the one won who saw our home domination know how painful it is 💔 pic.twitter.com/tMC7kfrSkf— VIREN (@virendrareshmi) October 26, 2024
ROHIT : “12 saal mai ek baar toh allowed hai yaar, “Ye aadat humne hi banayi hai 12 saal mai” 😭😭 #INDvNZ #INDvsNZ
If you have to go to play BGT with this mindset then Rohit Sharma should leave captaincy as soon as possible #ViratKohli #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/l2Q26NhPWI
— Nishanth¹⁸ (@Nishvk18) October 26, 2024
India’s WTC final hopes in limbo
India remain on top of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 standings after their second successive defeat against New Zealand in the ongoing three-match series. However, their hopes of making it to the final are in limbo. India have only six Test matches remaining in the ongoing cycle and need to win at least 4 to secure a spot in their third straight WTC final.
Even if te the hosts manage to bounce back and beat New Zealand in the third and final Test in Pune, India will still have to win at least three Test matches against Australia Down Under to assure themselves of a spot in the final. Even three wins in the next six matches might not be enough to guarantee India a place in the final.
