India vs New Zealand Test: Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik believes the senior Indian players are responsible for the Test series defeat against New Zealand while ex-batsman Sanjay Manjrekar feels it would be unfair to blame coach Gautam Gambhir. India lost the second Test against New Zealand by 113 runs in Pune on Saturday, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. With this, India's streak of 18 consecutive Test series wins at home since losing to England in 2012-13 also ended.

The senior players did not perform well during both the matches. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggled with the bat while the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja also failed to make any significant impact. Karthik told 'Cricbuzz', "Yes. Why should the senior players not be blamed for this (series defeat)? They will look at themselves and say, 'What could we have done better?' I don't think they are running away from it. He said, 'If you can celebrate victory and the fans realize how important they are, then when there is a defeat and you are attacked, I think they should have the courage to face it.'

Karthik said that the senior players will take responsibility for the defeat and admit that it was not their best series. He said, 'If you ask each of them individually what they think about the series, I don't think they will be able to say anything special about the performance of the entire team and it would be appropriate to ask them what can be done better for the future of Test cricket in India and Indian Test cricket.' Karthik said, 'I know each of them individually. They will say that it was not the best series for them. Then the question arises what they need to do to get better and this is a current question.'

New head coach Gautam Gambhir has also come under fire after India's tactical mistakes and repeated batting collapses in the two Tests, but Manjrekar backed the former opener. "I would still say that the coach has the least influence on the team, even less than your 11th weakest player. He doesn't step on the field, the captain is in charge there," Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo. "But you have to appreciate him for selecting Washington Sundar who became an instant hit," he said.

Manjrekar questioned Rohit's 'strange' decision to send all-rounder Sundar to bat before the in-form Sarfaraz Khan. He said, 'Sending Sarfaraz Khan to bat in the lower order and sending Washington Sundar above him because he is a left-handed batsman, such things should not happen.' Manjrekar said, 'This is absolutely strange. This is something that Rohit Sharma needs to be careful about. Thinking about left and right-hand combinations in T20. I think he should proceed only based on the overall quality and ability of the players.'

When India needed their experienced batsmen, Rohit (2, 52, 0, 8) could only score 62 runs in four innings while Kohli (0,70, 1,17) scored 88 runs. On Kohli's absence in the domestic circuit, former India captain Anil Kumble said that the charismatic batsman could have prepared well for the long Test calendar by making himself available for domestic matches. Kumble told 'Jio Cinema', "Maybe just one or two innings in match conditions could have been helpful. Being involved in a real match is definitely more beneficial than just practicing, it gives benefits. He said, "If he felt that playing earlier would benefit him and the team management agreed, then maybe it would have happened."