New Zealand captain Tom Latham praised his teammates after the eight-wicket win over India in the first Test of the three-match series in Bengaluru. Tom Latham admitted that the New Zealand team management initially planned to bat first, but losing the toss turned out to be a blessing.

The first day of the series opener was called off without a ball being bowled at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Indian captain Rohit Sharma opted to bat first after winning the toss. However, they failed to survive in challenging conditions for the batsmen and were bowled out for just 46 runs in the first innings.

We were actually going to bat first – Tom Latham

Speaking after the match, Tom Latham credited the players for keeping the pressure on by consistently bowling in the right areas. Latham acknowledged India’s strength in the home conditions, but added that the New Zealand bowlers made use of the second new ball in India’s second innings.

“I think we were going to bat first too. Good pitch to lose at the end. We put the ball in the right areas for a long period of time and got the results. The first two innings set up the game for us.” “Latham said.

“We knew India would attack us in the third innings, but the bowlers asked good questions with the second new ball and got the results. We know what quality India is on their own conditions. We saw what the new ball did to us, so We expected them to do the same with us,” he added.

Tim Southee set the tone for us wonderfully – Tom Latham

Tom Latham said Tim Southee set the tone for the team by removing Rohit Sharma at the start of the first innings. The Black Caps captain said William O’Rourke has been fantastic on the international stage with his pace, rebounding and ability to move the ball.

“He (ORourke) has been fantastic on the international stage. Pace, bounce, ability to move the ball in the air and off the wicket. He was supported by the veteran Southee and Matt Henry as well. The way he (Southee) bowled up in the first innings probably set the tone for us beautifully and we know the ability Tim had with the bat,” Latham added.

Rachin Ravindra showed his class in first innings – Tom Latham

The 32-year-old cricketer said Rachin Ravindra played a pivotal role in New Zealand taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Latham also added that the key partnership between Ravindra and Tim Southee gave New Zealand control when the match was tied.

“The youngster (Rachin) played Test cricket a few years ago. The way he played in the last 12 months and somehow put himself in a new role that he wasn’t used to… he showed his class in the first innings “He settled the nerves in our locker room by the way he came out and hit today,” Latham continued.

“We managed to build a couple of partnerships at the top and I thought the partnership between Rachin and Tim (Southee) put us ahead when the game was on the line. It was nice to chase just a 100.”

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