The 13th of November was far from a good day for Indian batsmen, as a star-studded Indian batting line-up proved completely pathetic at the Bay Oval ground in New Zealand. The Indian team, which just a few weeks ago chased down a target of more than 400 runs, was bundled out for a mere 89 runs in this match. This has once again brought to the fore the troubling question of whether India's veteran and new batsmen can only showcase their batting prowess on flat pitches.
Such a question naturally arises after witnessing Team India's performance at the Bay Oval ground in Mount Maunganui. In the fourth match of the ODI series, New Zealand batted first and put up a formidable total of 333 runs. However, despite this, the pitch didn't look very easy for batting, while will Young, who scored a century, managed to survive being caught out on two consecutive deliveries.
Yet, on a pitch where one team scored over 300 runs, a strong response was expected from the team chasing in the second innings. But the story turned out to be completely different. Team India lost 3 wickets for 0 runs in the very first over itself. Experienced fast bowler Matt Henry was the reason behind this, taking advantage of the slight assistance from the pitch to dismiss veterans like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer right in that opening over.
The ball moved away for Rohit, while Matt Henry dismissed Virat and Iyer with balls coming in. Following them, subsequent batsmen also appeared to surrender against New Zealand's other fast bowlers. So does it become impossible for batsmen like Rohit, Virat, Iyer, and Gill to bat on even slightly difficult pitches? Will the exact same story repeat itself in the World Cup to be held across 3 countries including South Africa next year?
These questions are being raised because Team India had recently successfully chased a target of 405 runs against the West Indies. Back then, Shubman Gill had smashed a double century, while Virat and Rohit had also scored centuries in that same series, while however, it was clear that that pitch was completely flat and helpful for batsmen, whereas the story at Bay Oval was entirely different. Even though New Zealand scored over 300 runs here, the pitch was far from easy and was enough to expose the vulnerabilities of Indian batting.
This trouble wasn't limited to this match alone but was also evident in the first and second matches. In both rain-affected matches, India had lost quick wickets, yet managed to secure wins due to smaller targets. In the first match, after losing the third wicket at a score of 114, the Indian team suddenly lost 3 more wickets. Similarly, in the second ODI, a target of 135 runs became a huge burden as 7 wickets fell by the time the score reached 111 runs. However, India managed to win the match somehow due to the Duckworth Lewis method.
Now, following all these performances, it's natural for the question to arise whether Team India is now suited only for flat pitches. Will Indian batsmen fail completely on pitches that offer even slight assistance to bowlers? Most of the players featured in this match will be part of the World Cup 2027 squad. In such a scenario, can they be trusted for the World Cup? The answer will become clear in a few months.