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In his first series as full-time captain of the New Zealand Test team, Latham has managed to win all three matches against India in India.
Tom Latham was appointed as New Zealand Test captain ahead of the three-match series against India, and in his first assignment as full-time captain, the left-handed batter created history by becoming the first captain in history to whitewash India in a three-match Test series played on Indian soil. The achievement becomes even more special for the Kiwis, as they managed to achieve the feat in the absence of legendary batter and former captain Kane Williamson.
Williamson, who is New Zealand’s leading run scorer in Test cricket, was included in the squad for the three-match series, but due to fitness-related issues he didn’t travel to India. In Kane’s absence, Will Young batted at No. 3 for the visitors and scored 244 runs in three matches to win the Player of the Series award.
Before the recently concluded series, Kiwis had only managed to win two Tests on Indian soil in 69 years, but things have changed now.
By winning three Tests against India, Latham also entered his name in history books, as he has now become the first ever New Zealand captain ever to win three Tests in a series (home or away).
The Kiwis played their first Test in 1930 against England, but till date they had never managed to win three matches in one series.
In the away series against India, Latham was however unable to produce a good show with the bat and only managed to score 145 runs in six innings. But his captaincy was spot on. With his brilliant leadership, he always kept Indian batters on backfoot, and they never looked comfortable against Kiwi bowlers throughout the series.
The 3-0 win over India also gave a boost to New Zealand’s chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final, which is scheduled to take place at Lord’s in June next year. The Kiwis have 54.55 PCT%, and if they manage to whitewash England in the three-match Test series later this month, then they will have a chance to finish in the top-two.
On the other hand, after losing back-to-back three Tests in front of home fans, India has now dropped to No. 2 position in the WTC 2023-25 points table, and they have to win four out of the remaining five Tests to confirm their place in the WTC final next year.