Tom Latham. (Source – Getty Images)
New Zealand on Saturday, October 26 created history by becoming the first team to win a Test series in India in 12 years. They outplayed the hosts in Bengaluru first and in the second game in Pune, Mitchell Santner wreaked havoc, claiming a 13-wicket haul to seal the series. The Rohit Sharma-led side had a miserable outing with both bat and ball and overall, they need plenty of areas to address ahead of the third Test at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, after the series win, New Zealand captain Tom Latham stated that India are still a quality side and a couple of bad games won’t define them. He added that the hosts have a squad full of match-winners and at times, every team goes through a tough period. However, the 32-year-old expects India to recover quickly from the defeat and pose a threat in the final game of the series.
Also Read – India’s 12-year series win streak ends at home as New Zealand do the ‘unthinkable’ in Pune
“It was nice that it unfolded really quickly but look, India are a quality side, they don’t become a bad team overnight or a bad team after a couple of games. They’ve got many match winners from 1 to 15 in their squad and sometimes it’s the game we play, sometimes you can fall on the wrong side even if you play well. We’ll certainly expect them to be at their best in Mumbai and the guys will be looking forward to that challenge,” said Latham in the post-match press conference.
Latham lauds Mitchell Santner
Latham lauded spinner Mitchell Santner, who was phenomenal in Pune. He picked up a seven-wicket haul in the first innings and a six-fer in the second, which helped New Zealand massively pick up a comfortable 113-run win. After the game, Latham reminded what Santner means to the Test squad and added that his experience of playing in Chennai Super Kings in the IPL helped.
Also Read – Mitchel Santner reflects on 13-wicket haul against India in Pune Test
“Mitch has been at Chennai (Super Kings) for a long time, (he is) someone who been in our group for a long time, has played a reasonable amount of Test cricket and we know how good he is. We know what he can produce and for him to come here and bowl the way that he’s bowled over the last couple of days, the group is really proud of him,” he said.