New Zealand Test captain Tom Latham described his team’s remarkable 3-0 whitewash against India as one of the nation’s “greatest series wins.” He mentioned that the team will take a few days to celebrate their achievement as its significance gradually sinks in.
Despite missing their top batsman Kane Williamson for the entire series, New Zealand managed to achieve the first-ever home whitewash against India in a series of three or more Tests. Prior to this, the Kiwis had not won a Test in India since 1988.
“It’s been a massive achievement, after the first (Test) it was obviously pretty special; the second one to win a series was even more special,” Latham said in the post-series press conference (via India Today).
“We spoke about coming here and trying to adapt as much as we can and to be in this position (of winning) 3-0, it’s certainly a series that I’ll never forget. We’ll obviously celebrate as a group together over tonight and the next couple of days before we head home.”
“It’s certainly been an amazing series to be a part of… It will sink in a little bit more when we get home and once the dust settles a little bit. It’s obviously a great moment for New Zealand cricket, probably one of New Zealand cricket’s greatest series wins,” he added.
Latham’s team secured their first Test victory in Bengaluru thanks to the pacers, who dismissed India for just 46 runs in the first innings after losing the toss. In the following two matches, where the visitors clearly outperformed India, Latham acknowledged that winning the toss and being able to set the total significantly boosted their chances.
“He added that he didn’t think the game was over while Rishabh was still at the crease”: Tom Latham
New Zealand consistently appeared to be the stronger team, but India kept the final Test competitive, reducing the risk of a whitewash to about 50 runs on Day 3. Despite another collapse in the top order, Rishabh Pant delivered an impressive 64 off 57 balls and was dismissed only after an on-field not-out decision regarding a catch was overturned.
“With Rishabh still there, I certainly didn’t believe that the game was over,” Latham said. “They (India) have match winners throughout their side and they’ve been successful playing the way that they’ve been playing for a long period of time.”
India now needs to win four out of five Tests against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to have a realistic chance of qualifying for the World Test Championship final without depending heavily on the outcomes of other matches.
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