Haren
For New Zealand fast bowler Tom Southee, a tumultuous six-week tour of Asia, that saw him relinquish his captaincy to Tom Latham midway, turned into a week-long celebration after his side made history in India.
No touring team since England in 2012, a run that lasted for 18 straight series’, had left India with a series win until New Zealand’s dominant win in Pune handed them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Reflecting on the triumph in an interview with Cricbuzz, Southee said their exploits in the subcontinent are likely to send a message to future touring teams. “It’s a very, very tough place to come. For us, coming from New Zealand, the conditions are so foreign. I think every time you come here, you’re playing against a superstar outfit,” he said, remembering his first tour in 2010 when he came up against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni.
“12 years, 18 series. It’s nice to be that side that’s broken that run. I guess it shows to other teams around the world that it is possible to beat India in India,” the 35-year-old fast bowler added.
He says he recognises the unique nature of the achievement, which has not been done by even the finest players of this generation: “There’s been a lot of great teams from New Zealand and a lot of great teams from around the world that have come here and not beaten India…So I guess for us, for a little country but a proud country to be able to come here and win, it’s been amazing.”
Southee added that while winning the World Test Championship in 2021 — beating India in the final at Lord’s — is his career’s greatest triumph, this series win is “almost equal.”
