New Zealand’s captain, Tom Latham, showed great sportsmanship following his team’s impressive 3-0 clean sweep against India in the recent Test series. Under Latham’s leadership, the Kiwis became the first visiting team to whitewash India in a three-match home series, winning the Tests in Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai.
Even after their historic victory, Latham remained respectful of India’s cricketing strength. He said, “Indian cricket in general is really special. We’ve played against them a lot. The guys play with them at the IPL. They were certainly gracious in defeat and they’re still a quality side.” He further added, “They certainly don’t become a bad team overnight and I’m sure they’ll turn things around in time.”
Sweet win after tough times
Latham revealed that the victory felt even more special considering New Zealand’s tough 0-2 defeat against Sri Lanka just before the India tour. “When we were in Sri Lanka a few weeks, where things didn’t necessarily go our way, so, I think it makes these times extra special when you’re able to achieve something that hasn’t been achieved before.”
Celebrating the win and looking forward
Reflecting on the team’s morale, Latham said, “It is just about enjoying everyone’s company, celebrating together. We had a couple of extra days to recover over there, so that was great.”
Looking ahead, New Zealand will face England in a three-match series at home, and Latham acknowledged that the ‘Bazball’ style of play would present a completely different challenge. “I think it’s an exciting one. I guess you look at the Test matches in the past against England, whether it be home or away, they’ve always tended to be reasonably exciting. So, I’m sure this series will be no different. They’ve got an attacking brand that they like to play and I’m sure it will be no different in terms of how they like to approach it. So, yeah, we’re looking forward to it. Yeah, it’ll be a great challenge,” said Latham.