The New Zealand skipper, Tom Latham was elated to see his side pick up their first Test win on Indian soil after 36 long years. The Kiwi captain credited the side’s performance in the opening game but insisted that India have the firepower to come back stronger.
“I think 36 years is the last time that we’ve won here. So, it’s a really special feeling to be in this position. It’s a proud moment for this group and one we’ll celebrate,” Latham said in the post-match press conference.
“We certainly know that it’s going to be a challenge against India (in the second Test), who obviously have a lot of firepower in that line-up,” he added.
Latham credited his pace-bowling unit of Matt Henry, Tim Southee and William O’Rourke for their stellar efforts with the ball in the first innings which meant that the hosts were bundled out for just 46 runs in the first innings to give them a massive advantage.
“I think the work we did with the new ball yesterday evening was outstanding. I think Southee, Henry and William asked lots of questions and obviously managed to get the rewards.
India fought back with the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli scoring fifties while Sarfaraz Khan scored a sensational 150 and Rishabh Pant chipped in with 99 runs. But it was not enough as India eventually took a lead of just 106 runs which proved to be too small.
“We certainly knew India was going to get themselves right back in the game and just happy that we weren’t chasing too many more than 100,” he said.
Latham now hopes to shift their focus to the second game which will be played in Pune at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium where he wants to see the side take the momentum for the second game to possibly end the series there.
“I think we’ve got to shift our focus to Pune and that will be our focus for the week in terms of the approach that we want to go in with. We’ve built a little bit of confidence up this week,” he noted.
One major change that is possibly on the cards for the Kiwis is the return of Kane Williamson to the squad. But Latham was not able to give an exact timeline to the return of veteran batter Kane Williamson, who is recovering from a groin strain.
“I’m sure those conversations will be had over the next 24-48 hours, I guess anyone of Kane’s calibre, if he’s right and able to come back and decide, would be obviously great,” he shared.
“But yeah, I guess selection headaches are obviously always a great thing to have from a team point of view. So, fingers crossed he’ll be right. I’m not 100% sure on his return yet, but fingers crossed he can get over here as soon as possible,” he signed off.
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