IND vs. NZ, 2nd Test: After making history by winning the Test series on Saturday, New Zealand captain Tom Latham has defended Rohit Sharma. Latham said in the press conference after the game that the home team didn’t suddenly turn into a poor one.
New Zealand now leads the three-match Test series 2-0 after crushing India by 113 runs. With six Test matches left, the Men in Blue are in danger of missing out on the WTC final after losing this match.
During the news conference, Indian captain Rohit Sharma was subjected to some challenging questions. The Indian captain said that they were permitted to have a few poor days and that they would not overreact. When he said that they could only lose one Test series in a 12-year span, he came under intense criticism.
During the press conference, Latham supported Rohit Sharma and predicted that they would win the last Test match, the third, in the Wankhede stadium the following week. He acknowledged that even though the game finished on the third day, they were aware that the Men n Blue would put them to the test.
During the post-match press conference, Latham informed reporters, “The way that (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, Rohit (Sharma), and Shubman (Gill) came out and played, they certainly put us under pressure and we knew it was going to be a hard slog to get all 10 wickets.”
Although it was good that things happened swiftly, India is a good team; they don’t turn into a terrible one overnight or after a few games. Their roster has a number of match-winners ranging from 1 to 15, and depending on the game we play, even if you play well, you might sometimes end up on the losing side. The boys will be eager to take on that challenge, and we’ll definitely expect them to perform at their peak in Mumbai,” he said.
When asked how he felt about their historic victory, he was at a loss for words. They haven’t won a Test series in India in the seven decades that they have been going there.
I’m a little at a loss for words. This gang is quite proud of this occasion. Being able to win two Test matches here makes us really proud. I believe that many New Zealand teams have visited this place in the last 69 years, and in 13 series, it is really unique to be the first team to win a series here,” he said.
