Mumbai: From a well-oiled machine in their previous series against Bangladesh, the India Test unit has been reduced to a crumbling facade in their three-Test matches against New Zealand. It’s been a steep fall. The domination at home ended with the defeat at Pune. Instead of coming out firing all cylinders on the opening day of the third and final Test, the batting line-up was once again a bundle of nerves.

By all indications, the players will take a lot of time to recover from the losses they have received at the hands of the Kiwis.

Ravindra Jadeja, who has been a key player in India’s unbeaten run at home in the last 12 years, lasting 18 series, admitted they have been caught by surprise by the debacle.

“I had personally thought that until I played in India, I wouldn’t lose a single series. But it (has also) also happened. I thought I would never lose a series till I play Test cricket for India (at home), but this happened. So, there is no surprise now,” said Jadeja addressing the media after picking his first five-wicket haul of the series (5/65) on the first day of the third Test match to bowl out New Zealand for 235. It extends his brilliant record at home, Friday’s five-fer was Jadeja’s 12th five-wicket haul at home in 49 Tests.

The Indian team’s terrific run at home naturally raised expectations, hence the defeat against New Zealand looks more glaring, said the experienced left-arm spinner.

“It happens sometimes because we have raised our expectations so high that we have not lost a single series for 12 years. In 12 years, in total we have lost five Test matches, the ones I have played in. So, I think as a team, it is a good achievement. But when you raise your expectations so high and when you lose a series, it looks very different. These things happen, but, as a team, it is a lesson. We need to pick up positives from this and deal with whatever situation comes next,” said Jadeja.

The main reason for India’s poor show in the three Test so far has been their batting collapses. Friday evening, the Wankhede Stadium crowd watched in disbelief as the batters again committed hara-kiri to slip from 78/1 in 17.1 overs to 84/4 in 18.3 overs. The last 20 minutes of the day’s play bordered on the comical.

Asked about the reactions to the collapse in the dressing room, the India all-rounder said: “It didn’t take that much time (laughs). Everything happened in 10 minutes. But it happens, in a team game, you can’t blame anyone. Everyone makes small mistakes but our remaining batters will have to build small partnerships. The upcoming batsmen will make small contributions and it will be good.”

Friday’s collapse started with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli. After being well-set at 30, the young left-hand opener threw all his hard work away by going for an ill-timed reverse sweep against left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel. Kohli, on the other hand, took off for a non-existent single only to be caught short by a direct hit.

“Only an individual player can tell what’s going on (decision) in their mind,” said Jadeja. As for the risk laying a reverse sweep, he quipped: “I don’t play the reverse sweep (laughs). He (Jaiswal) plays it, so you’ll have to ask him.”

Jadeja said the mistakes become glaring when a team is down. “When you’re down in the series and such a situation comes up, obviously it feels like that’s why you panicked and made a mistake. But when you keep winning and when you’re ahead 2-0, then everyone says, ‘It’s okay, it happens’. It doesn’t seem so important.”

The three quick wickets in the two overs have rattled the home team. There’s still a lot of cricket left to be played in the match and Jadeja believes that rest of the batters can keep India in the game by closing the gap to New Zealand’s total of 235.

“In a team game, if there’s a mistake up there (top order), then the batsmen who are coming tomorrow, (last six wickets), we will do as well as we can to score 230 or more runs. We will do as well as we can with the batting in the first innings and it will be easy for us in the second innings.”

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