Border-Gavaskar Trophy warning for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli: Manjrekar expresses concern

The senior players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, struggled to find their form in the recent matches. In the second Test, Rohit was unable to make an impact, getting out for a duck in the first innings and scoring just eight runs in the second innings. Kohli also had a tough time at the crease, managing only one run in the first innings and 17 runs in the second innings before being dismissed.

In the first Test, Rohit was dismissed for two runs off 16 balls in the first innings, and in the second, he got a half-century. Meanwhile, Kohli lost his wicket for a nine-ball duck in the first innings, and got a half-century in the next.

Speaking after the match, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar was asked if the pair's form was a cause for concern ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, he said, "Yes, it is a cause for concern. But thankfully when they go there, the challenges will be different."

The loss was also Rohit Sharma's fourth defeat in 15 home Tests as captain, same as Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin (both in 20 Tests each), and only behind Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi's nine (in 27 Tests).

The match also saw Mitchell Santner return with figures of 13/157 for New Zealand, which also became the third best match figures for a NZ bowler. It also became the third best match figures for any team vs India and also the third best match figures by a visiting bowler in India.

Speaking after the match, Rohit said, "Disappointing. It's not what we expected. Got to give credit to NZ - they played better than us. We failed to capitalise on certain moments. We failed to respond to those challenges. And we sit here today. Didn't think we batted well enough to get runs on the board."