Captain Tom Latham was “very, very ecstatic” and stated being “a little bit more aggressive with the bat” was one of the reasons behind New Zealand’s historic 3-0 sweep of India, sealed by a 25-run victory in the third Test in Mumbai. That became the first instance of India being whitewashed in a home Test series of at least three games.
“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,” Latham said at the post-match presentation. “I think just being able to adapt to each ground [gives the most satisfaction].”
Latham pointed out to the “all-round, great team effort” which helped New Zealand become the first visiting side to beat India in a series at home in 12 years. While the fast bowlers and Rachin Ravindra set it up in the first Test in Bengaluru, Mitchell Santner‘s 13-wicket haul helped then win the series in the second Test in Pune.
“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.”
The win in Mumbai, though, saw another different hero in Ajaz Patel, who bagged 11 wickets in the game after managing just four at an average of 49.25 in three innings before on the tour.
“Spin bowling’s a little bit about rhythm, and sometimes when you’re in rhythm, it’s about making the most of it,” Ajaz said after picking up the Player-of-the-Match award in Mumbai, the city of his birth. “And when the conditions present themselves to you, you have to take it by the horns and really do something for your team.”
In Mumbai, Ajaz followed a haul of 5 for 103 in the first innings with 6 for 57 in the second. On Sunday, he wiped out most of India’s line-up – from Nos. 3 to 8 – and said that the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium didn’t turn as much in the morning session on day three, even though he had already dismissed Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan and Ravindra Jadeja by lunch.
“In the period after lunch, it started turning a bit more, so that gave me a bit more confidence to toss it up and use my guile and, I guess, my shape in the air,” Ajaz said. “So, yeah, that’s all I tried to do – make sure I keep it simple, use my shape in the air, and then try and be ahead of the batters.”
Despite wickets falling around him, Rishabh Pant kept attacking Ajaz from one end. That made Ajaz bowl much quicker to Pant in comparison to the other India batters, as Ajaz thought “outside the box for him a little bit more”.
“I knew that if I just bowled good balls to him, he’s probably going to send them out of the park,” Ajaz said. “So I had to make sure I came up with a new plan and something a little bit different, and try and stay ahead of him.”
But before Ajaz, Daryl Mitchell had contributed with a solid 82 in New Zealand’s first-innings total of 235 after they had opted to bat. That was Mitchell’s first half-century on this tour where he had not gone past 20 even once in three innings. Runs apart, Mitchell was a permanent presence for the spinners at slip, where he took eight catches across the three Tests.
“It’s something you dream of, and to come over here and actually achieve it, it’s pretty special against a world-class Indian team,” Mitchell told the host broadcaster.
New Zealand had landed in India without Kane Williamson, who missed all three Tests due to injury. But his replacement Will Young tallied 244 runs in the series to take home the Player-of-the-Series award. He started with a composed 48* in the chase in Bengaluru, where New Zealand had lost early wickets, and scored twin half-centuries on a tricky track in Mumbai.
“I need to trust my defence, and at times, [it’s about] just being really clear on where I wanted to score,” Young said. “And do it for as long as I possibly can… If I know where I want to score and I can trust my defence, it makes the mind a lot clearer.”
But it was Mitchell who summed it up succinctly, as New Zealand toasted the series win, not long after the women’s team lifted the T20 World Cup in the UAE last month.
“We’re just a bunch of Kiwis taking on the world, and very proud to represent our country,” he said. “We know how good India are – they’ve got a number of world-class players – and for us, it’s just [about] hanging in there, keep doing what Kiwis do, and yeah, very proud of this group today.”
