New Zealand players celebrate an India wicket on Sunday in the third IND vs NZ Test at the Wankhede Stadium. Express Photo by Amit ChakravartyNew Zealand completed a history-making series victory over the Indian cricket team on Sunday, blanking the hosts by a 0-3 margin. This is the first time since the Indian cricket team started playing in Tests in 1933 that they have lost a series lasting for at least three Tests at home.
New Zealand captain Tom Latham was chuffed at what his side had managed to accomplish over the course of the series and credited his team for standing up when it mattered. He singled out players like Daryl Mitchell and Ajaz Patel for their performances. The New Zealand team was missing star player Kane Williamson due to injury.
But with almost all the players chipping in when needed, the team managed to sail through to a famous series win which might have seemed improbable before the three-Test series started. New Zealand were coming to India on the back of 0-2 defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka.
“We spoke about it after each Test match. We were trying to back it up, and I guess to finally do it here in Mumbai, on a completely different surface, one that would challenge us certainly with bat and ball – yeah, we’re pretty happy. I think just being able to adapt to each ground (gives the most satisfaction),” an ‘ecstatic’ New Zealand captain Latham said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Explaining what had gone right for New Zealand, which led them to defeat the formidable Indian team at their own home, Latham said: “We wanted to come over here and try to fire a few shots… and I certainly think we’ve done that,” Latham said. “We’ve been a little bit more aggressive with the bat, tried to be a little bit more proactive, and again, with the ball, we’ve tried to keep things simple, understand how India play a little bit, and just try to do our best. The guys have chipped in at different times, which has been the most important thing, and really happy to be standing here in this position.”
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
2 min read
