Not long before COVID-19 wreaked havoc in the world of cricket, New Zealand beat India by seven wickets to win the second Test in Christchurch, resulting in a 2-0 series whitewash. The hosts bounced back in style after being trounced 5-0 in the T20I series, registering a whitewash in the ODI and Test series which followed soon after.

As Team India gears up for a return to normalcy with the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) followed by the away series in Australia, here are five lessons from the embarrassing display against the Black Caps which Virat Kohli’s warriors should bear in mind:

1) Better negotiation of swinging conditions:

A look at India’s performance in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) nations over the years, indicates a constant inability to cope against swing and seam. This came back to haunt the visitors yet again during the series against New Zealand, with Shaw struggling to make his presence felt when given an opportunity.

The batsmen were all at sea against the New Zealand pacers who made full use of the conditions, surrendering their wickets meekly. There is certainly a need for introspection with regard to the Indian team’s performance in swinging conditions if they wish to be the leading side in international cricket.