India’s coveted home series of 18 consecutive home wins, the longest in the history of Test cricket, ended on Saturday at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune as New Zealand secured victory with a comfortable 100-run victory in the second Test match of the series. Mitchell Santner took a five-wicket haul in both innings, matching his best results in first-class cricket, as the visitors celebrated their first series win on Indian soil since their first visit to the country in 1955.

India’s defiance ended in the first 10 overs of the second session on the third day of play after Yashasvi Jaiswal gave the home team a glimmer of hope with his deliberate knock of 77 off 65 before lunch. Santner, who took a seven-wicket haul to set his career-best figures in an innings in first-class cricket, removed the opener and Shubman Gill in quick succession to end a menacing fifty-run stand for the second wicket , before a brain fade moment from Rishabh Pant ended with his run out for a duck score.

The left-arm orthodox then got rid of Virat Kohli for the second time in the Test match, putting the final nail in the coffin for India en route to their second five-wicket haul of the competition. The rest of the line-up fell apart in short order as India lost six wickets for 97 runs in the second session.

In the last session, Ravichandran Ashwin finished quickly with 18 and while Akash Deep (1 off 24) showed signs of courage and patience, he could not suppress the urge to open his arms at a short delivery and smash it for an easy one Catch for Rachin Ravindra. Ravindra Jadeja (42) was the last wicket to fall as New Zealand registered a brilliant win.

Earlier in the day, New Zealand’s determination to add as many runs as possible to their overnight score of 198/5 came to a quick end as play resumed with Ravichandran Ashwin (2/97) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/72) scripting quick demise. Apart from Glenn Phillips, who made 48 out of 82, none of Tim Southee (0), Mitchell Santner (4) and Ajaz Patel (1) could trouble the scorers as the Kiwis were 69 in the first hour of play. 4 overs out for 255.

Santner gave New Zealand early hope by dismissing captain Rohit Sharma (8), but Jaiswal had other plans. After overcoming a first-ball scare from a throw from Southee, he went full throttle, hitting three sixes and as many fours to leave India at 86 for one at lunch.

India’s 12-year winning streak is coming to an end

Since the shock home defeat to England in the 2012-13 series, India did not experience a similar fate at home in the next 12 years, thanks to the heroics of Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, which resulted in the greatest ever winning streak by a Test team at home Boden with 18 series wins. Australia’s next longest home winning streak was between 1994 and 2000 and 2004 and 2008 with ten wins.

India’s winning streak began with their victory over Australia in 2013, whom they defeated two more times during that glorious series before getting revenge against England in 2016, defeating the country two more times in 2021 and 2024. Their other wins came against Bangladesh (3), New Zealand (2), West Indies (2), South Africa (2), Sri Lanka (2) and Afghanistan (1).

New Zealand Screenplay 70th Anniversary Premiere

Anticipation for the series against New Zealand was low as the visitors suffered defeat in Sri Lanka last month. Similar to the Bangladesh contest, as the narrative took place in the run-up to the contest, this series was also seen as a preparatory event for the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Test series in Australia next month. But New Zealand came like a bolt from the blue and left India in ruins.

Last week, on Sunday, New Zealand celebrated their first Test win in India in 36 years and their third overall victory since their first visit to the country in 1955. They won the series opener by eight wickets in the rain-interrupted match in Bengaluru.

Rohit was a powerful reminder that India is capable of bouncing back from the lows in the first Test at home – be it the series against England earlier this year or the 2017 Border-Gavaskar series at home. But even as India pulled off a turnaround in Pune to unsettle the visitors, they were stunned as New Zealand won for the second consecutive time to secure their first series win in the country.

The third and final Test of the series will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from November 1.