Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja And More: The Villains Behind India's ODI Series Loss vs New Zealand

Despite the ODI series wins against Australia and South Africa, India couldn't stand up to the Kiwi challenge as New Zealand clinched the 3-match assignment 2-1 to beat India at home. For hosts, it was the first series loss in their own backyard in three years. It was the Australian side who last managed to beat India in India, winning a three-match series 2-1. The result opened up many subjects of debate, ranging from Rohit Sharma's ineffectiveness at the top of the batting order to Ravindra Jadeja's failures, both as a bowler and a batter.

As the Indian team management looks to return to the drawing board to fix the glaring flaws that were exposed by New Zealand, we take a look at the 'villains' behind the series defeat.

1. Rohit Sharma's Powerplay Paralysis

The former India captain, usually the team's chief aggressor, became a central "villain" in the batting order. Across all three matches, Rohit struggled for fluency, failing to provide the explosive starts that have been his hallmark. The Hitman appeared "short on cricket," as noted by assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate. Instead of his typical high-intent approach, he frequently went into his shell, putting immense pressure on Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli.

2. Ravindra Jadeja 'Missing'

Once India's most dependable all-rounder, Jadeja's lack of impact with both bat and ball was one of the biggest reasons for the series slip. Jadeja proved ineffective in the middle overs, failing to provide the breakthroughs needed to stop runs from flowing, especially from the Kiwi stars like Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips. He conceded 41 runs in just 6 overs in the final ODI without taking a wicket, a performance that summed up his ineffectiveness over the course of the series.

While Jadeja's underwhelming performances were too poor to miss, the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and others could've also done more to help the left-arm finger spinner.

With the bat, scores of 4, 27, and 12 are bound to question his future in the ODI team. The real Ravindra Jadeja was 'missing' in the series. 

3. The Middle-Order Chaos

While individual names like Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul struggled to perform in the final ODI, the collective failure of the middle order takes the bulk of the blame.

In the deciding third ODI, India slumped from 28/0 to 71/4 in the space of just nine overs. The inability of Iyer and Rahul to weather the storm against Kyle Jamieson and Zak Foulkes meant that Virat Kohli's brilliant 124 was a lonely effort that went in vain. Nitish Kumar Reddy did try to help with his 43-ball 52, but India needed others to step up.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team New Zealand Cricket Team Rohit Sharma Ravindra Jadeja India vs New Zealand 2026 Cricket