India vs New Zealand | Building Partnerships Helped us Cross The Line: Tom Latham

New Zealand stand-in skipper Tom Latham said partnerships all throughout their run chase helped them win by four wickets against India in the first ODI in Hamilton on Wednesday.

After coming close on three occasions to beat India in the ongoing tour, New Zealand were finally able to cross the line and taste victory as they defeated the Men in Blue at Seddon Park.

Seasoned campaigner Ross Taylor anchored New Zealand’s chase of 348 by scoring a brilliant hundred. He was well supported by Henry Nicholls (78) and Latham (69) as the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.



“A great performance from the guys, it was nice to keep our composure at the end and get across the line,” Latham said.

“For us it was about building partnerships. The total was a little more than what we would have liked to chase. But we managed to get off to a good start and keep wickets in hand,” he said.

“We saw how hard it was to defend with the left-right combination. It’s nice to make winning contributions.”

Latham said Kiwis were not good with the ball as they allowed India to get to 347/4. But in the end, they won with 11 balls to spare. “The way Ross played was fantastic. We weren’t quite where we wanted to be with the ball. So we got to improve and hopefully we will play the perfect game at Eden Park,” Latham added.

Meanwhile, centurion Ross Taylor said the left-right hand combination helped New Zealand in their run chase and also opined keeping India under 350 gave them a chance.

“It was nice to get across the line. Restricting them under 350 gave us a chance. We were fortunate with the left-right hand combination and we were able to target the short leg-side boundary,” Taylor said after the match as he was adjudged Man of the Match.

“It’s been a happy hunting ground for me. It was nice to be there at the end after I got out thrice towards the end in the T20 series,” he added.

Taylor was at the wrong end of defeats in the last three T20Is as India swept the series 5-0. New Zealand came close, but blew away the game in all three occasions. More importantly, Taylor was at the crease, but failed to take the team home.

On Wednesday, the seasoned batsman brought up his 21st hundred in style and remained not out on 109 to take his team over the line.