Yoda.
I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. India has suffered its first series defeat at home since twenty twelve, at the hands of none other than New Zealand.
The too nil defeat came.
When India was bowled out for two hundred and forty five by the Black Caps in their chase of three hundred and fifty nine on the third day of the second Test. So what does this mean for cricket in New Zealand Today? On the Front Page ends at Herald Online, Sports editor Alex Powell joins us to discuss this historic win and why it matters.
First off, Alex, tell me about the series. Give me the highlights, I.
Mean of where do you start with the highlights? So basically to filly in as quickly as I can. New Zealand have gone to India for a three Test series. They were expected to get smashed and India don't lose at home. I think they've only lost about six tests
in the last twelve years. Two of those have been over the past two weeks, so the black Caps one in Bengaluru last week that was their first Test win in India for thirty six years, So all the reaction there was, oh, it was a fluke, it was a fluke. And then to back it up, they did the same in Pune over the last couple of nights. And it's amazing really because this team has no business doing that
to India. India's resources and cricket and the player pool that they have, they shouldn't lose to anyone, especially in New Zealand. Two only have five million people. That's the population of a woman by suburb. I mean, the real highlight is the permance of Mitchell Satna that he left Umpspinner, who was man of the match. Eventually he took thirteen wickets to bowl Inder out twice. Before that his best figures we had only taken three wickets and I think
he beat that with seven. I think of all his career wickets now, twenty percent of them have come from this game. So he is the real individual highlight. Otherwise, just looking at the team performance to go to in there and win for the fourth time in history, two of them had come before that, and then obviously the next two have been over the last week, so I mean, all round, that's pretty much where you stand on it.
It's not just a dream. It should be a movie because talk about a ragtag team of misfits. You know, a new captain. Probably not that many superstars. I mean, Ratchin might end up being an all time great, but just a team that just bonded together. And with Mitchell Satner, I think they call it in the flow state or feeling himself in the modern parlance, as an all time performance. He's had his Doug Bracewl and Hobart test right there.
For those of us who don't watch or understand the sport, can you explain to me what a series is.
We're going back to basics, Alex.
I mean that's very basic. I mean a series is two or more matches played one after the other, so this is three. The black Caps don't play a lot of three Test series because their standing in cricket isn't actually that high. It's not that profit ab to play series and long series against New Zealand.
I'll read your headline and you may have already answered this, but I will say it anyway. New Zealand have followed one of their best Test wins with one of the best Test performances.
By a New Zealander. Do you know who that player is?
Well, that was Mitchell Center, who I just spoke about exactly.
You took it away from me. But why was his performance so good?
Do you think, with the greatest of respect to Mitchell Santner, his displays and Test cricket have been quite unremarkable. Since he debuted what fifteen so nearly ten years ago, he's only played about twenty nine to thirty Tests. Since that's not a lot for a guy who has the senior
standing that he does. You know, he'll come in for two games and then we dropped for five, you know, and now we're at the point where we're solely picking him on conditions and in this case it played into his hands perfectly.
It's obviously pretty pleasing. Test griger for me has been I can't out and you know, I guess to get these conditions over here and put in a I guess a shift like that is pretty pleasing. But I guess to do it against India and I guess kind of beat them at their own game. I guess that was the most pleasant thing for us in that second Test.
Anyway, And in terms of this series, I mean, you watched every moment of it.
You lapped it up. What do you think the Black Caps did differently?
I mean, that's a really difficult question to answer because the game plan that they had was basically the same one they had in Sri Lanka where they got swept turnal. I think the performance of India was really what's done in India have just imploded in this series. They've not lost a home Test series since twenty twelve, they'd won eighteen consecutive series in the time since then. They've beaten
every nation there apart from Pakistan. And yet it's New Zealand that's pulled their pants down again.
So how historic is this defeat for them?
For India, it's their first Test series loss at home to New Zealand and then conversely it's New Zealand's first away series win in India. I mean, you'd probably have to ask India where it ranks. They don't look at New Zealand in the greater picture and say these guys are our big rivals. They think, you know, Australia and England because that's where cricket is now that those three countries dominate. Then they also probably love beating Pakistan more
than anyone as well. Whether or not this really rankles in history is probably to be seen and for India to.
Answer, is it more historic than for New Zealand to have done this to India?
No, New Zealand are definitely the biggest story head Like, we will look back on this team in ten years and wow, I can't believe they did that. They had no business winning one test in the series, never one two with one still to play.
What are some of the international coverage being of this?
So cricket now as a sport effectively just bends over backwards to praise India. I think the status for every dollar in international cricket ninety odd cents, so it comes from India. The sport is completely fixated on making them most of that audience. So in a lot of ways, the Black Caps have really upset the Apple car by doing this.
Some online have called it humiliating for India. Are they right? And is it because New Zealand did it?
Yeah? I mean like if anyone beat India in India, it's humiliating. The fixation with Indian cricket in India is the same as we have with the All Blacks anytime there's a loss, especially in test cricket, we want a national inquiry and it's the same over there.
So will the alarm bells be ringing for India now because they're off on a five match tour of Australia next month.
Hey yeah, this was very much they're warm up. They should have smashed us, gone to Australia huge on confidence and then tried to do the same over there. And now there are just going to be so many questions around this team. Are the players too old? As the captain the right person to do the job? Have they got to move some of their star players on and we can thank New Singland for that?
And what do you make of all of those questions? Should they?
I mean, you can never really be too reactive about these things. They should absolutely be planning for the future at all times anyway, because that's what you do when you're a country of that size. There's never going to be a shortage of talent in Indian cricket. But whether or not now has just put it on fast forward. Remember India did win the T twenty World Cup earlier
this year, the men's one. We know who won the women's one, don't we so how they react to it will be really interesting to see because they do have a tendency to throw the baby out with the bath order on some of these things they are.
That's what I think about this, say a little a little worried, but I just think if India's batting comes good, then I think you never to start fear it's if you can just struggle with that, dopport, then I fear it might be in Australian summer.
So India continue to top the World Test Championship standings despite the two defeats, but will they be less confident about a spot in next year's final after their first series loss on home soil of course, since falling to England in twenty twelve.
I mean they should be less confident because, like you said, they go to Australia for five tests. I don't think it's out of the question to think Australia can win that five No. I mean to start with, India will need to beat in New Zealand and the third Test in Mumbai. That's non negotible. Now they needed to win all these pests and then basically go to Australia and get something, whereas now they have to get everything from Australia.
And it's not only the men's team making good on that international stage, is it.
No?
Yeah, the woman won the T twenty World Cup? What last week?
Now?
Sorry, time's a bit blurred now for me because there's been so much.
Over It's been so much cricket to watch. So how historic was that win for the women's.
Historic's probably not the right word because they did win the full fifty over World Cup in two thousand, but that was in a whole generation of players a go so much so that this generation was saying how they watched that one and got inspired from it. But I mean, on the whole, it's just a great time to be a keep a cricket fan, isn't it?
Could this bolster cricket's popularity in New Zealand. I feel like we're constantly talking about rugby and its stars, the All Blacks.
Do you think the same can be said about cricket and greats?
I think rugby is such a different thing to compare any of this too, because rugby isn't a sport in this country. It's entertainment. Whether or not we'll look at the cricketers in the same lives with the rugby players, I don't think so we've already seen this generation of men's cricketers are the best we'll probably ever have, and they can all still walk down the street without being bombarded. But I mean the effect this is going to have on kids. There's a phrase that you seen in sport,
you can't be what you can't see. And now we've had a generation of girls grow up and see their team win the T twenty World Cup, World champion.
Susi bats Susie, good morning, congratulations, How are you really?
Jess so pumped we've just sung the team song in the changing room.
Yeah, surreal.
The tournament has been.
So great for this group and to be world champions.
You know, we've had a couple of cracks, but not recently and just so fazz Yeah, it's awesome.
We've had a generation of boys come through and see their team just be amazing since what twenty fourteen, they've won the World Test Championship in that time as well. So I think the future really is bright. But now it's up to news in the cricket to have the right pathways in place for this talent to come through.
Do we fund it enough?
That's such a difficult question to us because New Zealand cricket does not make a lot of money.
Well how does India do it?
I mean they've got the population base that they can sell advertising to one point four billion people who are all mad about it. Cricket it's not really a priority sport for us here. It's our main summer code. But rugby just has such a huge footprint and they look at rugby league, you look at netball for girls coming up. So whether or not cricket can keep going forward, you probably will need another twenty years of success to even have a chance of breaking through the grip of the big sport.
So Alex, what's next with this series?
Well, there's the one Test to play. Let's not forget the black Caps do have the luxury of being able to lose that, you know, But we spoke about the World Test Championship. For India's place in the final will come down to what they do. But the black Caps can also push for that final. Now they were effectively out of contention after losing in Sri Lanka. But now if they could win this one to three nil and then come home and beat England three nil, who we
play next month. That will really give them the best chance of making it and hopefully winning it for a second time since winning the first one in twenty twenty one.
Do you reckon that they can maintain that momentum though?
I mean, so, England and New Zealand have a really interesting relationship now. England's captain and coach are both Kighleis and Ben Stokes and Brenda mccallums, so the two sides know each other very well. They've played some really memorable matches and series. Remember the twenty nineteen World Cup Final that no one deserves to lose and likeably no one did lose. So what happens from there? I don't know. England have just lost in Pakistan as well, in similar
conditions to what New Zealand have played in India. But coming over here there'll be a bit more familiar, will be a bit more familiar. I mean, who knows. I hope for a three norwin on top of winning in Mumbai next or later this week, but we can just have to wait and see, aren't we.
Thanks for joining us, Alex.
That's it for this episode of the Front Page. You can read more about today's stories and extensive news coverage at enzed Herald dot co dot z. The front page is produced by Ethan Sills with sound engineer Patty Fox.
I'm Chelsea Daniels.
Subscribe to the Front Page on iHeartRadio or rare you get your podcasts, and tune in tomorrow for another look behind the headlines.