NEW DELHI: Reflecting on India’s 0-3 Test series defeat to New Zealand, former spinner Harbhajan Singh didn’t hold back, pointing out that the pitches in the recent past have been ‘too much’ spin friendly and against the Kiwis it backfired badly.
The series, which ended in India’s first-ever 0-3 clean sweep at home on Sunday, left Harbhajan both surprised and disappointed.
“This entire series has been quite disappointing for all of us. When New Zealand came here, the expectation was that the result would be 3-0 and India would win the series. I can only say that they outplayed us and they took advantage of those conditions,” he told ANI.
Harbhajan also opened up on the importance of accountability, saying, “Captain definitely has responsibility and at the same time, the team is also as responsible as the captain.”
He expressed that while India aimed to create spin-friendly conditions to challenge New Zealand, the approach backfired as the pitch conditions ended up favouring New Zealand’s bowling attack, particularly left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel.
“The conditions here were offering a lot of turn—Gaddha khoda toh tha lekin gir khud gaaye (we dug a pit for others, but we ended up falling into it ourselves),” he quipped.
Harbhajan also accentuated his belief in maintaining a balanced pitch, noting, “Test cricket means that a match should ideally go on for five days and the better team should emerge victorious. I think the conditions should not be tampered with too much. If you want to play good cricket, then you have to play on a good wicket.”
According to Harbhajan, India could have won the series on standard pitches, potentially with a 2-0 or 2-1 margin.
The series turned historic for New Zealand, with Ajaz Patel’s six wickets in the final Test sealing a thrilling 25-run win.
Patel’s bowling was pivotal in dismantling India’s batting lineup, as they fell short of a modest 147-run target, all out for 121.
Patel’s 11-wicket haul, along with Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry’s support, delivered India’s first-ever 3-0 Test series sweep on Indian soil.
