Former cricketer turned broadcaster, Ian Smith slammed the Indian batting lineup after a pathetic batting display and shot selections in the Pune Test as India collapsed in front of Mitchell Santner on Day 2.
India came into day 2 with just 1 wicket down and a considerable amount of total to trail. However, Mitchell Santner ran riot as he got to his first Test five-wicket haul to get New Zealand in the pole position to win the series in India.
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What did Ian Smith say about India's batting in Pune Test?
Ian Smith, the experienced commentator and former wicketkeeper who played 63 Tests and 98 ODIs for the Kiwis thought that this was one of the worst batting performances by the Indian team after they continuously lost wickets on poor shots. Especially, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant.
"This batting performance from India is worse than 46, if I look at conditions and shot selection," said the veteran commentator.
Most of the Indian batters, on Day 2 in Pune were seen struggling to pick the lengths after they stayed on the backfoot on full deliveries despite the spin-playing pedigree.
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India were bundled out for just 156 runs in the first innings at Pune, with New Zealand currently having an advantage with a lead of 103 runs.
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Indian batters' record against spin in Tests in India since 2021
Let's take a look at how Indian batsmen have performed against spin at home since 2021 in Tests. Barring Jaiswal, Pant and Gill, a majority of the batsmen average under 40.
| Batter | Innings | Dismissals | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Y Jaiswal | 13 | 8 | 89.2 |
| R Pant | 15 | 8 | 66.00 |
| Shubman Gill | 22 | 14 | 49.10 |
| Axar Patel | 19 | 11 | 44.80 |
| Rohit Sharma | 25 | 19 | 36.00 |
| R Jadeja | 18 | 13 | 37.90 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 15 | 12 | 33.08 |
| V Kohli | 22 | 19 | 30.20 |
| KL Rahul | 8 | 7 | 28.0 |
| C Pujara | 16 | 13 | 21.0 |
| A Rahane | 7 | 5 | 19.40 |
| RM Patidar | 6 | 6 | 7.50 |
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