I’m in a bit of pain: Abhishek Nayar recalls painful New Zealand series defeat at home

The 0-3 home defeat against New Zealand in 2024 was a difficult period for Indian cricket. For Abhishek Nayar, who was part of the coaching staff at the time, the disappointment still lingers. Almost two years later, the former Indian batting coach admits that the loss hurt him, as did millions of Indian fans.

In an interview with JioHotstar, Nayar reflected on India’s defeat and stressed the importance of getting the better of New Zealand in the upcoming two-Test series. He also believes that India need to get their priorities right, especially with the short turnaround between ODI assignments and red-ball competitions.

“New Zealand came to India, they beat us in the Test seriesand that hurt me a little, as well as the rest of our fans. So it’s a big series. There should be balance in life. The World Cup is important but there is still some time for that,” said Nayar.

HARD TIMES FOR INDIAN COACHING STAFF

Nayar’s comments have added significance given his involvement in the coaching set-up during India’s difficult 2024-25 Test season. Under Gautam Gambhir, India suffered a historic 0-3 record against New Zealand at home before losing 1-3 to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

India’s batting has been a major problem in both the tasks. Senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma struggled to deliver consistently while the team failed to find answers to the opposition bowling attacks.

The disappointing run eventually prompted the BCCI to conduct a review of India’s performances. Nayar was subsequently removed from the coaching staff how the board assessed the flaws in Gambhir’s setup.

For Nayar, the upcoming series offers an opportunity to give this painful result for Indian cricket. He believes the task is particularly important for Gambhir, who will be keen to build a stronger record in Test cricket.

“For me, this Test series is crucial for Gautam Gambhir and the Indian fans,” he said.

MORE RED-BALL PREPARATION

The former batting coach also questioned whether India’s multi-format players should be required to juggle ODI commitments immediately before an important Test assignment.

With KL Rahul and Shubman Gill featuring in both formats, Nayar would prefer that both of them get more preparation time for the red ball rather than switching between formats quickly.

“So I would like players like KL Rahul and Shubman Gill who play both formats to focus only on Test cricket. Because now you have to prepare for ODIs and then Tests,” he explained.

Nayar felt that giving the players a month or two to work on their red-ball game would be a better way to approach the series.

“Just like they beat us here in India, we should beat them there,” he added.

For Nayar, the result of the previous series is still hard to forget. This time, he wants India to ensure New Zealand leave with a very different memory.

– The end