Wassan Critiques India's Historic Test Series Whitewash at Home

Former cricketer Atul Wassan expressed shock at India's rare defeat against New Zealand at home, attributing it to collective overconfidence and a lack of traditional Test cricket skills. He urged a return to 'ugly and dirty' batting and emphasized the need for specialist Test players despite lucrative IPL contracts.

In the aftermath of India's unprecedented 3-0 home series defeat to New Zealand, former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan has voiced his disbelief, terming it as a collective "brain-fade" and a "harakiri" moment in Indian cricket. The defeat marks New Zealand's first Test series win over India in India.

Speaking to ANI, Wassan highlighted how India's batting vulnerabilities, particularly against spin, were thoroughly exposed by Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips, who spun the Kiwis to a 25-run victory in the decisive Test at Wankhede Stadium. Patel's six-wicket haul underscored India's struggles against quality spin.

Wassan warns of the dangers of overconfidence, citing India's early focus on Australia tours, and calls for introspection in the leadership group. He emphasized a return to "ugly and dirty" Test batting to prevent mixing formats dictated by the Indian Premier League's lucrative contracts.

(With inputs from agencies.)