In the most extraordinary fashion, India were beaten 3-0 by New Zealand on home turf. Here are the takeaways from a historic series.
India continue to pay the price on turning wickets
In the Bengaluru Test, it was seam bowling which dominated the game, starting from the first innings where India were shot out for 46 on the morning of day two.
The hosts rolled out turning wickets for the last two matches in Pune and Mumbai, and ended up paying the price. Mitchell Santner, who has a thoroughly underwhelming Test record, took 13 wickets in Pune before Ajaz Patel starred in Mumbai.
Read more: For a WTC final berth, India need to beat Australia... and hope
It's long been suggested that these wickets have only been detrimental to India, given the current ability of their batters against spin bowling, not to mention how such wickets close the gap in quality between their own spinners and the opposition's. Santner and Ajaz, much like Tom Hartley and Matthew Kuhnemann before them, benefitted from this.
But once again, on both counts, India ended up paying the price – this time a much heavier one.
Pant continues to look a cut above India's other batters
Pant returned to Test cricket against Bangladesh in September, and all eyes were on him then to see if he would be fit enough to handle the rigours of batting and keeping wickets in the longest format.
He was once again the centre of attention against New Zealand, although this time it was more for the quality of his batting. This was most evident in Mumbai, where he struck two half-centuries at better than a run-a-ball on a wicket where most batters couldn't survive 20 deliveries.
He finished as the series' leading run-scorer, and the only other Indian to average over 40 with the bat was Washington Sundar, who scored 89 runs and was not out twice.
Pant's fitness is still in question, especially after he took a knock to his knee in Bengaluru, but going into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this month, he remains the side's most in-form batter. It's almost like he never left.
