Under new captain Latham, the likes of O’Rourke and Ravindra have shown what they can do, and there are others knocking on the door
Deivarayan Muthu27-Oct-20245:09
Latham: Immensely proud moment for this group
At 3.55pm local time in Pune on Saturday, Tom Latham’s New Zealand did the unthinkable by beating India in India in a Test series. Before 2024, New Zealand had visited India for 12 Test series across 69 years without ever winning one. Before 2024, they had two Test wins in India in 36 years. Now, in a space of less than two weeks, New Zealand have doubled that tally and made history.After Tim Southee coolly took the winning catch at the edge of the long-on boundary to dismiss Ravindra Jadeja, Latham sprinted all the way from leg slip to embrace him. Having stepped down as captain ahead of the Test series in India, Southee was no longer a certain starter in spin-friendly Indian conditions. But, as it turned out, he had the first say under cloudy skies in Bengaluru and the final say under cloudless skies in Pune.More than three years ago, when Ross Taylor hit the winning runs for New Zealand in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India in Southampton, he exchanged hugs and glove-punches with Kane Williamson. This image of the pair walking off the ground together became iconic, with the New Zealand public even suggesting it should be immortalised as a statue at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe bear hug between Latham, Southee and Daryl Mitchell in Pune was perhaps just as iconic, with their screams of joy reverberating around the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium, where more than 20,000 Indian spectators were stunned into silence.Southee was the only fast bowler from both teams to have taken a wicket in Pune. Latham was the only batter from both sides to have scored more than 80. The pair is the last link to New Zealand’s golden generation. Kane Williamson, who missed the first two Tests of the ongoing India series with a groin injury, has knocked back his New Zealand central contract, as have Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Martin Guptill and Jimmy Neesham. Meanwhile, Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling and Colin de Grandhomme have all retired from international cricket.Related
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Transitions are always tricky and New Zealand have a limited talent pool, but they have found ways to invest in their next line of players. And it felt like Pune 2024 marked the beginning of a new era, with some old, familiar faces still around to oversee the transition.”I guess in cricket teams you have times where you’re grouped together a long time,” Latham said at his post-match press conference. “I guess around that World Test Championship, the group had been together for a long time and we obviously had guys retire, we’ve had guys move on. We’ve obviously seen a new wave of players come through and I think for them to come in and perform straightaway has been the most pleasing thing. You’ve obviously still got a mix of older guys or more experienced guys and some youth, which is awesome.”I guess the likes of Will O’Rourke and Rachin [Ravindra], those two guys are going to play a lot of cricket for New Zealand. It’s obviously really special for them to come here and be in this position. Certainly really proud of this group and everyone’s proud of each other.”Everybody wants a bit of Mitchell Santner•AFP/Getty ImagesLatham and Mitchell beamed with pride every time they spoke to the Indian reporters about their Canterbury team-mate O’Rourke’s potential.In his first Test in India, O’Rourke, 23, took out Virat Kohli for a duck on his way to match figures of 7 for 114. Kohli’s dismissal had New Zealand’s planning written all over it. They placed their best fielder Glenn Phillips at leg slip and had their tallest bowler bouncing him out in Bengaluru. They were braced for the conditions changing in Pune and once again made a percentage call by bringing in Mitchell Santner and that paid off handsomely too.Everything has to come together perfectly for wins like these and they did, which is having quite an effect back home.
Congratulations to the @BLACKCAPS on a famous and historic test series win in India! Absolutely brilliant!
— Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) October 26, 2024
Latham himself was left searching for words when asked for his immediate reactions. Peter Cader, the only travelling reporter from New Zealand for the Pune Test, broke into a dance at the press conference to celebrate the team’s unprecedented success.Geoff, one among a handful of travelling fans from New Zealand – he had come over from Thames, a small town southwest of Auckland – was also left overwhelmed with emotion. “Earlier in May, I’d made up my mind to follow this New Zealand team in India,” he said. “I’m staggered to witness this. The other great game I remember watching from the ground was the win around 1980 [1978], when we beat England at the Basin Reserve.”This ranks well above that. Beating England in Wellington is great but beating India in India is far above that. I will go back, sit in the hotel, grab a beer and reflect on the special evening. I feel very privileged to be here.”New Zealand fan Geoff felt “privileged” to see his team win a Test series in India•ESPNcricinfo/Deivarayan MuthuIt will take a while to sink in for everyone, what this team has achieved. But the Black Caps assembly line will not stop whirring in the background, searching for talent that can take their success forward. Ravindra has already made it to the big time. Auckland’s Ben Lister has been tipped to fill the Boult-sized void in white-ball cricket, while Wellington’s tearaway Ben Sears, who was ruled out of this Test series in India, is capable of becoming the next Lockie Ferguson.Tim Robinson, who recently made his New Zealand and Caribbean Premier League (CPL) debuts, has the type of explosive power that made Guptill a force at the top in limited-overs cricket. Nathan Smith could potentially perform the all-round role that Colin de Grandhomme used to do. And now all of them will believe that anything truly is possible, thanks to what Latham and his men have done in India.