"Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee were batting and you kept continuing with spin" - Aakash Chopra on reasons for India's loss in IND vs NZ 1st Test

Aakash Chopra has picked India's inability to break Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee's partnership earlier as one of the reasons for their defeat in the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. He questioned captain Rohit Sharma for holding back his seamers during that partnership.

After getting bowled out for 46 in their first innings, India had reduced New Zealand to 233/7. However, they allowed Ravindra and Southee to add 137 runs for the eighth wicket, which helped the visitors reach a 402-run total and eventually win the game by eight wickets.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' he opined that Rohit's overreliance on spin during Ravindra and Southee's partnership was potentially one of the reasons that cost India the game.

"In bowling, I felt when you had reduced them to 233/7, there was a window of opportunity, that you just barge in. Yes, they had taken a lead but it wasn't huge. There Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee were batting and you kept continuing with spin. You didn't introduce fast bowling at all," he said (2:20).

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the Indian skipper was apparently waiting for the second new ball to introduce his seamers.

"You were waiting for the second new ball to get the fast bowlers. I thought It was too late. That was a time when you had to seize the opportunity. You could have looked towards spin as well because of the quality of spinners we have. You expect that they would somehow dismiss Tim Southee at least, if not Rachin Ravindra, but that didn't happen," Chopra observed.

Southee joined Ravindra in the middle in the 65th over of New Zealand's first innings. Rohit persisted with spinners till the 80th over. The partnership was eventually broken in the 87th over when Mohammed Siraj dismissed Southee.

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"That is not allowed" - Aakash Chopra on India suffering two batting collapses

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that India's two batting collapses in the same game were a major reason for their defeat.

"A huge thing that happened was two collapses in one match. That is not allowed. You can survive one collapse but you cannot allow a second collapse, especially when one collapse is 46 all out. In the second innings, when the second new ball came, you were 408/3 at one stage and then got all out for 462," he said (1:10).

The former India opener added that the second-innings collapse would hurt the hosts more.

"It was impossible to come out unscathed from there. The second innings collapse will pinch more because in the first innings, it was like a storm and everything got drowned. However, in the second innings, you were in control and you knew only the second new ball's threat could trouble India," Chopra reasoned.

India were comfortably placed at 408/3, with a lead of 52 runs, in their second innings. However, Sarfaraz Khan's (150 off 195) dismissal triggered a collapse as they lost their final seven wickets for just 54 runs.