Tom Blundell, New Zealand’s wicketkeeper, feels the Indian cricket team underestimated them. One can understand that Team India had beaten Bangladesh 2-0 a couple of weeks ago, and the Kiwis were hammered by Sri Lanka as well. No one, perhaps even in New Zealand’s camp, thought they would win the series and break India’s streak of remaining undefeated at home in the last 18 Test series.
They wrote us off: Blundell
Having already won the series 2-0 before heading to the final match in Mumbai, Blundell feels that Team India were taking them lightly. It’s a common mistake that teams make, but when you haven’t lost in 12 years, that’s bound to happen a little. It can be seen as overconfidence or self-belief. Either way, whatever transpired wasn’t something Team India expected.
“When we first came over, I think they had a slogan on TV saying five-nil for their home summer or something along those lines,” Blundell told SENZ Mornings before the India vs New Zealand 3rd Test.
“I’m pretty sure they wrote us off coming after Sri Lanka. But I think they’re pretty shocked in terms of what we’ve achieved and how we’ve come out and competed and played some really good cricket to beat these guys—one of the best teams in the world. I think they’re a little bit shell-shocked in terms of what has happened,” the keeper added.
Blundell wants 3-0
With the final game left, Blundell and New Zealand would hope for a whitewash. For the unaware, India have never lost all the matches in a series when 3 or more matches have been played. So if someone the Kiwis manages to do what no one has done in 91 years, it might be one of the worst defeats in Indian history. Of course, the WTC Final 2025 is on the line as well, so both teams really want to win in Mumbai.
“You’ve got the World Test Championship still on the line, that’s something that motivates us as well. But it’s going to be a challenge. India are probably hurting from this. But regardless of the result, we can go home with a pretty big smile on our faces. What we’ve achieved here is pretty immense, it’s probably one of the biggest highlights of my career,” Blundell concluded.
