Cricket: Black Caps save worst for last against India

New Zealand's Martin Guptill is bowled. Photo / AP

New Zealand saved the worst of a poor batting series until the last in India and the statistics paint a bleak picture of how the batsmen went about their work in Indore.

In their 321-run loss, which rounded off a dispiriting 3-0 tonking by the world No 1 side, the breakdown of how each team's runs were scored was revealing.

India scored 345 singles in the course of their 557 for five and 216 for three. New Zealand managed 93 in the match in their 299/153 double.

New Zealand made 106 of their second innings' 153 in boundaries, just 28 in singles. There seemed no appreciation of the value of the smallest scoring shot in terms of both ticking the board over and rotating the strike.

Virat Kohli, in the course of his marathon 211 off 366 balls, scored 115 of them in ones. He effectively killed New Zealand with a pillow rather than a rapier.

New Zealand looked as if they'd chucked it in by the fourth innings. They earned magnanimous praise from Kohli for their resilience and knack of making things hard for India earlier in the series. Kohli would have been hard pressed to say the same of this shower.

All out inside 45 overs doesn't bear scrutiny. Sure, New Zealand aren't the only side to go to India and get bounced. India have won 12 of their last 15 home series, beaten only by England three years ago, and regained the top ranking with the win in Kolkata.

The Indore pitch was the best of the three in the rubber, but it was clear the dynamic changed when India took the field for the final innings.

Where New Zealand's bowlers simply didn't have the runs to work with to apply pressure through close catchers, India's Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja immediately had a ring of fielders around the bat, ready to pounce on every half chance. It was a refrain that ran through the series.

Ravi Ashwin is among the world's best bowlers and snapped up 13 wickets in the test, 27 in the series, a blink off twice the number of the next best bowler on either side, who happened to be his spin chum Ravi Jadeja.

Certainly he was a major force throughout the series but on Tuesday night New Zealand showed no application, no taste for the fight. Where was the defiance to at least justify Kohli's praise and take the innings well into the final day?

Ross Taylor's wretched tour ended appropriately and by the time Jeetan Patel came to the crease the die was cast. Even so, he was dropped at short leg first ball, then aimed a swipe at the next and was bowled. The white flag was up.

Captain Kane Williamson spoke of lessons to be learnt. That's true but New Zealand's fans deserved better than this.

For some time the cry has gone out for more tests against the heavy mobs, the likes of Australia, South Africa and India. "Oh no, not Bangladesh/Sri Lanka/Zimbabwe/West Indies again" has become a familiar refrain when each summer schedule is released.

On this showing, New Zealand, now ranked No 7, can't complain. They have lost six of seven tests against that Big Three this year, the other a washout. Some numbers don't lie.