India aim to avoid series whitewash

India face their biggest challenge at home when they clash with New Zealand in the third Test as they are left to salvage pride and fight a perception about their diminishing ability to negotiate quality spin attack.

After losing their first home series in 12 years, India need to win the Wankhede Test to remain in contention for a slot in the World Test Championship final, while also avoiding only their second series whitewash at home.

With six Tests remaining in the 2023-25 cycle, two-time runner-up India will need to win at least four more to have another crack at the WTC trophy.

Regardless of their remarkable fightback in the second innings of the opening Test, the abysmal show from India's famed batters against quality seam in Bengaluru and an abject surrender against spin have set in motion the beginning of the end for some of India's superstars.

While it remains to be seen how far the four seniors in captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja go in responding to this crisis, they would be served well if the workload is equally shared by young guns Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.

New Zealand's meticulous preparations and near-perfect execution of plans have posed some tough questions to India's batters and bowlers alike and the hosts are yet to respond.

The visitors exposed India's batters with both pace and spin in Bengaluru and Pune but most surprisingly, the spin duo of Ashwin and Jadeja has been out-bowled arguably for the first time in a home Test series ever since they began operating together from late 2012.

Amid all the odds stacked up against them, India's batters will also face a stern challenge on what has been in making, a spin-friendly pitch here at the Wankhede Stadium.

Ashwin and Jadeja after many years haven't looked menacing even on home soil. It won't be surprising if Axar Patel plays for India as his bowling is tailor-made for turners where batters struggle to decide whether to come forward or rock back.