Auckland defeat a wake-up call

"Suddenly the temperament and technique of their batsmen have been called into question on a track that seamed a bit and bounced too. Another victory based on six-hitting prowess on dead tracks would have given the visitors a false sense of security and an exaggerated notion of their own powers before the start of the three-Test series,” ESPN Star Columnist Suresh Menon

"Now it is back to the drawing board, with the realisation that Test cricket will be different, and the team will have to work harder. The hosts may not be as hospitable over the longer game. The last time they visited, India lost the two-match series 0-2. Their highest score was 161; neither side crossed 100 in the first innings of the second Test. It is no coincidence that India have not won a series in New Zealand in 40 years. It is not sheer pace which has traditionally defeated Indian batsmen so much as seam movement."

"The Auckland result would have reconfirmed to New Zealand what they already suspected, that India's traditional weaknesses remain. That will give them cheer, and point the way towards preparing the kind of pitches Indian batsmen expect in that part of the world. This time, however, India have the better seam attack, and that might be a consideration."

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