The New Zealand cricket team made history on Saturday when it won a Test series in India for the first time. To put things in perspective, it won a Test match for the first time in 38 years when it defeated India in the first Test at Bengaluru.

The margin of defeat (by eight wickets in the Bengaluru Test and b y 113 runs in the Pune Test) is proof of how dominant they were in outplaying India.

For India, it was its first Test series defeat at home in 12 years, snapping a record 18 consecutive home series wins. India has lost a Test series at home only four times since 2000. For New Zealand this is perhaps their best series win as even top teams like Australia and England struggle to beat India at home.

If it was Rachin Ravindra’s heroics that won them the first Test, in the second it was Mitchell Santner’s terrific bowling on a wearing pitch that won New Zealand the Test. He bowled an unchanged spell of 29 overs in the second innings.

Indian collapse

For India it was their batters that let them down. No team can hope to win a Test after getting bowled out for a mere 46 runs on the first morning as it happened in Bengaluru.

At least in that Test India put up a fight in the second innings with Sarfaraz Khan getting his maiden Test century and stitching good partnerships with Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant.

Batters fail to deliver

But in the second Test the batters simply didn’t turn up. After conceding a 103 run-lead the writing was on the wall for India.

Though they racked up 81 runs in just 12 overs till lunch, after that the collapse almost seemed inevitable.

Preparing for a gruelling five-Test series in Australia starting next month, this series defeat could not have come at a worse time for India.

It also makes its path to the finals of the World Test Championships of 2026 more tricky. India now has to win four out of its next six Tests, if it has to make it to the finals without the ‘help’ of other teams.

Of course, plenty of questions will be asked about Indian batting. It will be tempting to lay the blame on too much white ball cricket, but that is a reality that modern batters have to live with. But Indian batters surely have the experience and skill to switch between white and red ball cricket.

New Zealand cricketers are the perennial ‘good guys’ of international cricket, so perhaps India wouldn’t mind losing to them as commentator Simon Doull mentioned. A loss against Australia, England or Pakistan would have hurt more.