‘An opportunity to do something special again’ – New Zealand head coach Gary Stead hopeful of India whitewash

‘An opportunity to do something special again’ – New Zealand head coach Gary Stead hopeful of India whitewash (Source – Getty Images)

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead expressed his confidence in his team as they look to win their four remaining matches in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle to make it to next year’s final. The Blackcaps had to win their last four Test matches in the inaugural WTC cycle and they managed to do so. Stead is hopeful that his team will be able to repeat the dream run from 2021.

New Zealand lost both the Test matches they played against Sri Lanka before arriving in India. Tim Southee handed over captaincy to Tom Latham and New Zealand’s fortunes changed miraculously as they defeated India in a Test series in their own backyard for the first time.

The Kiwis won the first two Tests in Bengaluru and Pune, respectively. The third and final Test match is scheduled to take place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, starting on Friday, November 1. After this encounter, Latham and Co. will have three more Tests left to play in WTC 2023-2025 against England at home.

“The first time we were in the situation of qualifying for the first WTC final, we had to win four tests on the bounce and we managed to,” said Stead while speaking to the New Zealand media.

“Hopefully that’s something we can lean on and say, ‘we’ve done it before, here’s an opportunity to perhaps do something very special again’,” he further added.

The red clay is very different, so we’re going to have to adapt quickly: Gary Stead

The first two Tests between India and New Zealand were held on black soil pitches. However, the third Test will witness a red soil surface greeting the two powerhouses of world cricket. Stead stressed the importance of adapting to the surface as early as they can.

Also Read: Winning in India equal to WTC final victory: Tim Southee

“A series win in itself is incredible, but what we want to do is keep trying to get better every game, and we’re going to different circumstances now,” the New Zealand coach continued.

“The red clay is very different, so we’re going to have to adapt quickly. Our next two trainings are going to be important but for the WTC itself, there’s no doubt one more win would certainly help us,” Stead concluded.

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