5 reasons why New Zealand did not perform to potential

A Ravichandran Ashwin inspired India trounced New Zealand 3-0 to end a disappointing tour for the Kiwis. In the wake of a 475 run target, New Zealand chose to attack their way out of trouble rather than going into a shell, like South Africa decided in a similar situation in Delhi a few months ago.

The South Africans ultimately did not succeed in their attempt to tire out India's bowlers with their blockathon. But what they did do was win many hearts by making India toil for 143.1 overs in order to bowl them out. New Zealand, to be fair, have given India a harder time on this tour until now than South Africa did in theirs.

But this approach signified everything that New Zealand did wrong on this tour and in spite of a similar 3-0 loss, South Africa walked away with much more respect than this Kiwi side did. The difference was in the fight.

An old saying by Mark Twain goes like this 'It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.' What New Zealand lacked was precisely this. They had the squad, they had the right players, they even brought in the right replacements. But what all of them failed to do was fight it out.

Their plan was evident right from the tour game where Kane Williamson, the pillar of their batting, scored a 56 ball 50, stepping out to the spinners and keeping the scorecard ticking. Luke Ronchi opened and bettered the feat by scoring a run a ball hundred with three maximums. It was a carefree approach. While it was possibly the right way to think, the implementation came apart right from the first Test.

In spite of possessing one of the strongest outfits to tour India of late, the Kiwis collapsed like a pack of cards. They were often left in shock or trying too hard rather than sticking to the basics.

In the wake of one heavy defeat and a heartbreaking 3-0 loss, let us analyse where New Zealand got it wrong.

#5 Wayward pace bowlers

Some wayward bowling by New Zealand’s pacemen cost the side dear(Image credits:BCCI)

While it could be argued that the pitches in India are as dry and dusty as they come, there is no excuse for New Zealand fast bowlers’ wayward lines. Be it Boult or Wagner or Henry, none of them consistently hit the right lines or thought differently.

One vital weapon you need to win in India is reverse swing. Dale Steyn had it in Nagpur 2010. James Anderson had it in Kolkata 2012. For New Zealand of 2016, though, this had gone totally missing.

Unfortunately for New Zealand, they could not get the ball changed any time during the series to extract reverse swing. India had the ball changed in the 47th over in Kanpur, and Mohammad Shami made full use of it. Although New Zealand requested for a ball change, it was denied. In such wet conditions, you need smart fieldsmen drying up the ball by scuffing up against their pants. New Zealand did none of that well.

#4 Lack of wicket taking spinners

Santner was economical but not threatening

It has to be said that Mitchell Santner and Jeetan Patel bowled extremely well during the Test series. But what they did lack was wickets. While they were tight and bowled stump to stump. they caused hardly any discomfort and the wickets just did not come.

India lost six wickets in an innings three times this series, yet they managed to add a further 57, 116 and 157 runs. New Zealand's corresponding additions - 7, 42, 82 and 41 - tell you where this series has been won and lost. India had spinners who could run havoc through the tail. New Zealand didn't.

Mark Craig, in his only outing, was average at best. Ish Sodhi was wayward and went for runs, but his leg-spin could have come in handy ahead of an extra seam bowling spot in the latter half of the series. While Hesson and Williamson certainly did not think so, it has to be said that they missed a wicket taking spinner like Sodhi. Leg spinners are match winners and Sodhi is definitely one. He might have had a bad game in Kanpur but he has the right tools.

#3 Lack of application by batsmen

Guptill was a walking wicket for most of the series(Image credits: BCCI)

The start of the tour gave a clear indication of the approach the Kiwis were going to adopt. While attack seemed a good option in the wake of a tragical attempt at defence by South Africa, the right blend was missing. In Guptill and Taylor they had two baggages, who were trying to dominate the attack with poor techniques.

Williamson and Latham had to form the wall, but both of them were bitten by the attack bug many times, especially against Ashwin, who was at his best.

In Santner, Ronchi and Neesham, they had the perfect lower order but none of them clicked together. While Santner and Ronchi were exceptional in Kanpur and Neesham did a good attacking job in Indore, neither got the right base from the top order. Santner's innings of 71 from 179 balls at Kanpur was the right way to go though. But that rarely happened later in the series from any of the Kiwi batsmen.

#2 Guptill-Ronchi conundrum

Luke Ronchi was one of the few Kiwi batsmen who put up a fight in the entire series

When Mike Hesson stated that Ronchi was going to be the backup opener on tour, lots of eyebrows were raised. Considering Guptill's form, it was a brave call to not pick any settled opener. Jeet Raval, who was a sightseer in the African tour, missed out.

But Ronchi put all that to rest in the warm-up game by cracking a brilliant hundred. He showed he had the right game to belong there, while Guptill failed yet again. When New Zealand walked out to bat in the first Test in Kanpur though, it was still Guptill opening. And he scored 21 and 0, falling to his age old issue against the incoming delivery. Ronchi, meanwhile, made a fighting 80 in 120 balls, one of the best innings of the tour for the Kiwis.

Yet, surprisingly, it was Guptill again at the top in Kolkata. Remember, they had Henry Nicholls, a middle-order batsman, in form, (he scored a composed 79 against South Africa in his last Test innings) waiting on the sidelines. Instead of opening with Ronchi and pushing in Nicholls in at 4 or 5 ahead of Guptill or at least moving Guptill to the middle order, they stuck to their failed tactics. They did include Nicholls in the eleven but he came in at 3, a spot he hasn't batted at before. Rather unsurprisingly, the results were the same. That New Zealand failed to adapt to the situation and chop and change accordingly, something they did brilliantly under Brendon McCullum, would go down against them more than the 3-0 loss.

#1 Ravichandran Ashwin’s masterclass

Ravi Ashwin was at the heart of the Kiwi downfall

Possibly the single man behind the mass destruction of the Kiwi batsmen in this series, Ashwin picked up 27 wickets in the series, bamboozling the batsmen with his guile, turn, flight and drift. He was simply unplayable. In spite of New Zealand having just two left-handers in their top seven in the first two Tests, Ashwin wreaked havoc.

That Ashwin won his seventh Man of the Series award in 14 series is testimony to this man's contribution in India's race to the helm of the Test rankings. His second innings 7/59 at Indore and match haul of 13 wickets would go down as one of the best performances by an Indian bowler.

Importantly, Ashwin tied down New Zealand's best batsman, their pillar and captain, Kane Williamson. His consistent lines and variations accounted for Williamson's wicket each time he walked to the crease. His only significant contribution in the series was a 75 at Kanpur in the first innings.

Ashwin ensured he won over the New Zealand skipper each time. That it dealt a psychological blow to the New Zealand middle order, searching for an anchor to bat around, is the backdrop against which this series win was compiled.