Ravindra Jadeja’s Pain Reflects India’s Shocking End to 12-Year Home Dominance Against New Zealand
A week after India’s remarkable 12-year home dominance ended at the hands of New Zealand, Ravindra Jadeja’s disappointment was unmistakable. Reflecting on the defeat after the first day of the third Test against New Zealand, the pain was evident in Jadeja’s words. India’s 18-series unbeaten streak at home, which began with a 4-0 sweep of Australia under MS Dhoni in 2013, came to a crashing halt with a 173-run loss to New Zealand in Pune. This golden era, spanning the leadership of Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and now Rohit Sharma, has been a testament to India’s cricketing prowess at home.
But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. New Zealand, a team that has often troubled India on the big stage, finally ended their run. While Rohit Sharma appeared to take the loss with a bit of acceptance, calling it “acceptable once in 12 years,” for Jadeja, who was instrumental throughout India’s home victories, the defeat hit hard. “I hoped never to lose a home series while playing for India. But it happened,” he shared in the post-day press conference.
Despite his disappointment, Jadeja demonstrated his focus, claiming a 14th Test five-wicket haul to restrict New Zealand to 235. Still, India found themselves in trouble, heading toward a possible rare home whitewash. On Day 1 in Mumbai, after starting at 78/1, India faltered to 86/4, thanks to a sudden collapse in the last 15 minutes of play. Jadeja referred to the collapse as “unexpected,” as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s reverse-sweep dismissal was followed by Mohammed Siraj’s quick exit and Virat Kohli’s needless run-out. Despite these setbacks, Jadeja refrained from criticism, instead urging the remaining batters to build small but steady partnerships. “In a team game, you can’t blame anyone. Mistakes happen, but everyone has to contribute,” he said.
As India faces an uphill battle, fans are left wondering if they can regain momentum on Day 2 of the Mumbai Test and avoid a rare home series defeat.
