It took New Zealand two weeks of brilliant cricket to achieve what they have been trying for the past 55 years, since their first Test win on Indian soil during the tour of 1969-70. In fact, that maiden win came 14 years after their first tour of the subcontinent in 1955, and post that the Kiwis managed to win just a solitary Test under John Wright’s captaincy during their tour in 1988 until Tom Latham’s men broke the jinx in Bengaluru last week and went on to better it on Saturday with a 113-run triumph in Pune to seal the three-match rubber 2-0 with one Test to go. “It is obviously a special feeling.
Very proud to be up here. It is a team effort. This game was a clear example of everyone stepping up at the right times.
Very special,” a proud Latham said. For India, this was their first ever series loss that broke a dominant run of 18 consecutive home series victories, after 12 years, ever since Alastair Cook’s side inflicted a 2-1 defeat in 2012. Unlike the past, such results impact a team’s fortunes in the World Test Championships, and while India still manage to hold on to their lead in the WTC points table, the gap at the top is not a lot now.
Advertisement The series loss could be a big reality check for India ahead of the crucial five-Test series against Australia DownUnder, and the team management led by Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir will have a lot to ponder upon if the two-time WTC finalists are to stay in the race to their third WTC final a.