"Bit of freedom, bit of no fear and try and take it to them" - Tom Latham on New Zealand's approach in upcoming Test tour of India
New Zealand skipper Tom Latham called on his side to be fearless, while taking the game to India in the upcoming three-match Test series against Rohit Sharma's Men. The Kiwis will play three Tests against India in Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai, starting Wednesday, October 16.
New Zealand suffered a 0-2 whitewash in their recent Test tour of Sri Lanka, leading to Tim Southee stepping down as captain and Latham taking over. They have also historically struggled in Tests in India, winning only two out of their 36 matches in the country.
Speaking to the media ahead of the daunting test against Team India, Latham said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo:
"From my point of view it's about trying to continue doing the good stuff we've been doing, trying to put my spin on things. It's an exciting challenging going over to India and once we can go over there hopefully [we can] play with a bit of freedom, bit of no fear and try and take it to them. If we do that hopefully gives ourselves a good chance."
"Think in India we've seen teams that have done well out there in the past have been quite aggressive towards them, especially with the bat they've looked to play a few shots, but also put them under pressure which is really important over there rather than sitting and waiting for something to happen. We'll decide on how we want to play when we get over there, but guys have got plans around how they like to approach things and hopefully we can fine tune those," he added.
While New Zealand are on a four-game losing streak in Tests, India recently crushed Bangladesh by a 2-0 margin at home.
It was the Men in Blues' 18th consecutive Test series win at home, dating back to the 2012-13 season.
"There's a reason why he's so high on the wicket list for New Zealand" - Tom Latham backs Tim Southee
![Southee has been in dismal bowling form in Tests this year [Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/10/e3ec5-17286179836525-1920.jpg?w=500)
Tom Latham backed veteran pacer Tim Southee to overcome his poor Test bowling form in the tour of India.
The 35-year-old has endured a torrid time with the ball in six Tests this year, picking up only eight wickets at an average of 73.12.
"Someone with that amount of experience who's done it for many years there's certainly no reason why he can't get back to where he's been in the past. He's been a fantastic bowler for us for many years, there's a reason why he's so high on the wicket list for New Zealand," said Latham in the same interaction.
"He'll have a similar role that he has always had whether it's as captain or in the past, someone like that who has a wealth of experience, a wealth of knowledge in all conditions and he's done it for many years and has been successful. We'll certainly be tapping into his mind, his ideas, so looking forward to it," he added.
Despite his recent struggles, Southee remains New Zealand's second-leading wicket-taker in Tests with 382 scalps with 15 five-wicket hauls in 102 outings.