After their horror performance in the ODI series against New Zealand, India captain Shubman Gill floundered around under fire from Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Jadeja and Kuldeep have been ineffective with the ball, with the former going wicketless in the entire series and the latter conceding 182 runs in 25 overs. He bowled at an economy rate of 7.28 and an average of 60.66.
With Jadeja, his batting also remained an issue as it has been 13 years since he got a fifty on Indian soil. His last half-century came a long way in 2013 when he scored 61 against England in Kochi. Playing the role of an all-rounder and batting at number six, a lot was expected from the veteran with the bat. Even during the Indore loss, Jadeja dropped his wicket at a crucial moment when Kohli was set up and scored runs.
IND vs NZ INDORE ODI: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
In the post-match press conference, Gill said that Jadeja looked in good touch with the bat, but admitted that most of the Indian batsmen failed to capitalize on their starts.
“Firstly, I’m thinking of Jaddu bhai. I don’t know how many matches he’s played in the last couple of years, but as far as his batting goes, he’s looked in good touch. That said, I think all of us batsmen, in particular, haven’t been able to convert the starts we’ve had. Whenever you play in India, you usually see high-scoring games and if the batsmen get difficult, they start having at least two – but no.
BAD FOR KULDEEP
Kuldeep was the strike bowler for India in ODIs over the last few years, with 2023 being his best when he took 49 wickets from 30 matches. In 2025, he had 19 scalps from 11 matches played and was drafted into the lineup to take wickets at regular intervals in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.
However, the New Zealand batsmen, especially Daryl Mitchell, dismantled him strategically. Gill said sometimes things like that happen and he was unlucky not to pick a lot of wickets.
“Sometimes these things happen. Kuldeep has bowled really well over the last couple of years and has always been a strike bowler for us. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t pick as many wickets as he would have liked, but you learn and grow in series like this,” Gill said.
– The end
Published on:
January 18, 2026