NEW DELHI: India’s first-ever bilateral ODI series defeat at home against New Zealand was more than just a statistical setback — it was a moment of uncomfortable clarity, and captain Shubman Gill did not attempt to hide it. After the 41-run loss in the series decider at the Holkar Stadium on Sunday, Gill offered a frank assessment of where India fell short and why New Zealand deserved to win.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“For me, it wasn’t that we didn’t bat well. It was that we didn’t bat long enough,” Gill said, pinpointing what he believed was the decisive factor. “When batsmen are getting starts and they’re not able to convert those starts, especially in high-scoring matches, it becomes very difficult. At least two batters need to go on and play that long innings. That was the difference between them and us.”

India’s inability to turn promising starts into match-defining scores haunted them throughout the series, including in Indore where Virat Kohli’s century briefly revived hopes after the hosts slipped to 71 for four. Gill repeatedly returned to the contrast with New Zealand’s batting template.

“Whenever their batsmen got set, they scored long. That’s the difference,” he said. “Even in the first two matches, I got set, but I wasn’t able to convert it into 100, 120 or 130, and that’s something we need to get better at as a batting unit.”On Ravindra Jadeja, whose impact with bat and ball has dipped in recent years. Gill resisted singling him out. “Jaddu bhai was looking in good touch with the bat. But it wasn’t just him. I don’t think any of our batsmen were able to consistently convert the starts we were getting,” he said, before acknowledging Jadeja’s reduced wicket-taking returns. “He has always been a strike option for us. It’s unfortunate he couldn’t pick as many wickets as he would have liked, but that happens. You learn from it and you grow.”Fielding lapses, too, proved costly. “We dropped some catches at very important stages of the game,” Gill admitted. “When those catches don’t stick, it’s not easy. It’s one area we really have to improve.”Gill also backed Rohit Sharma despite the opener’s modest series tally. “You won’t always be able to convert starts. What’s important is that the intent and rhythm are there.”Amid the disappointment, Gill highlighted a positive for the future in Harshit Rana. “Batting at number eight is very important for us. The way he is batting right now, he keeps getting better,” Gill said, also praising his pace and bounce. “In the future, he can be a very good prospect for us.”With the World Cup still some way off, Gill insisted the defeat offered clarity rather than crisis. “We have time,” he said. “As long as we know what we need to work on, hopefully in the next one or two series we can fix those areas and perform the way we want to.”