Captain Virat Kohli says India’s poor performance with the bat was the reason for their Test defeat in Wellington.
The visitors were hit with a 10-wicket loss to New Zealand following successive batting collapses in the match.
Batting first at the Basin Reserve, India were all out for just 165 in the first innings. That was followed in the second innings by 191, despite being at 144-4 at one stage.
Disappointed skipper Kohli knows exactly where the blame lies for the defeat.
He said: “This is a game where we didn't show enough competitiveness.
“In the past, we have known we have played good cricket even when we have lost, and we have been in the game. But I think we let ourselves down massively with the bat in the first innings.
“You could say the toss played a big role in the Test match but that's uncontrollable, so you can't focus on that and take that as a massive factor. But having said that, the first innings performance pushed us back. We knew the conditions were going to keep getting better.
India now head to Christchurch for the second and final Test on Friday. They need to win to level the series but are still considered marginal favourites to get the win.
They can be backed at 2.25 (5/4) with 10Cric to bounce back at the Hagley Oval. The Black Caps are priced at 2.30 (13/10) to back up the success. The draw is at 5.45 (40/9).
Kohli positive about his own form
The India captain has not enjoyed the most productive tour with the bat in New Zealand. That continued in the first Test when he made just 2 and 19 in Wellington.
However, he believes his recent scores are not quite reflecting his overall form.
He added: “I'm absolutely fine. I am batting really well. I feel that sometimes scores don't reflect the way you are batting and that's what can happen when you don't execute what you want to well.
“Look, when you play so much cricket and you play for so long, obviously you'll have 3-4 innings that don't go your way. If you try and make too much out of it, it'll keep piling on.
“I think it's about staying in a good space and I know the chat on the outside changes with one innings. But I don't think like that. If I thought like people on the outside, I would probably be on the outside right now.”
“It's all about clarity of mind and taking responsibility individually when you walk out to bat. I feel as a batsman you should not wait for a message from outside to execute something in the middle. I think it's about understanding what you want to do as a batsman, and if that doesn't come off then you say fine, I didn't do it in this innings. But if 6-7 people can think like that, for sure 2-3 people will come good,” he said.
