New Zealand is celebrating an incredible moment in Test cricket history after the BLACKCAPS became the first team EVER to win a three-match Test Series 3-0 in India.

Making this achievement even more special for CD is that the men named as Player of the Match AJAZ PATEL and Player of the Series WILL YOUNG are our very own Central Stags.

Young has received widespread praise for the way he toughed out the hot, turning conditions as a batter stepping up in Kane Williamson's absence, with crucial contributions and two half centuries.

The Mumbai master Patel meanwhile continued his love affair with the city of his birth, claiming two more Test bags in the incredible 25-run third Test victory for match figures of 11/160.

Patel took 14 in one Test in 2010, the last time he played at famous Wankhede Stadium of course, famously including all 10 wickets in an innings.

Now he's on the honours board yet again, while Young ticked over 8,000 first-class career runs - scoring 244 of them in this three-Test Series and providing crucial momentum and partnerships to average 48.80 against India's best.

It's been a special 24 hours for the BLACKCAPS, hear what our men of the moment in Mumbai have to say about it all!

AJAZ PATEL

"It's really special, this one, and a dream start for Tom [Latham] as captain.

"The most rewarding part of the celebrations is the conversations we have afterwards - sitting around with your teammates, reflecting on what we just achieved.

"Those times are growth and learning opportunities for us, as well. Myself and WILL YOUNG sat down and had some deep conversations around his plans around batting, how he looked to tackle certain bowlers; and about what I was trying to do when I was bowling, and how I was trying to get certain batters out.

"It's quite cool as a cricketer to be able to talk in depth like that, get inside another cricketer's head. But we don't always have the time to do it.

"I think it's where some of the best learning happens as cricketers.

"The surfaces in India change very quickly, and you have to be adaptable. For example, in that first innings before lunch, it probably wasn't turning as much as we would have wanted, and it was about hanging in there and waiting until that surface changed, and it certainly did start turning again after lunch. Then it was our time to start attacking.

"Rishabh Pant had a phenomenal series for India, he's a class act, and he plays some fearless cricket.

"He's not your traditional Test cricketer so you had to think outside the box a little bit for him. Especially in the last innings, I think we did a great job of trying to tie him down and make sure it was difficult to score when he tried to.

"A lot of the boys over here had been battling through a bit of sickness during the Series.

"Different guys at different times have been ill. There were some tired bodies out there, and that made it even more special to do what we did thoughout the Series - to go out there and put in a performance for the team, giving it everything, every time we went out there., no matter what.

"We're trying to play a certain style of cricket, especially on the subcontinent, in both our batting and bowling which is a little bit different to what we're used to. We just made sure we weren't coming back in wondering.

"As a spin bowling group, we certainly felt we were capable of going out there and doing the job, challenging some of the best players in the world in their home conditions.

"We backed our plans, and the great thing about this Series is it was different guys stepping up at different times - especially in the clutch moments, when the team needed it. That's been the most rewarding aspect to me: the whole team.

"When you pick up five-fors, you get the accolades. But it was all of us. I don't think the Indian batters felt respite from either end and that was really important.

"It will be really interesting now to see how the new slot for the Plunket Shield plays out [beginning in Napier next week], whether the later window provides more for us spinners to get involved in the early part of the campaign.

"Hopefully going forward, we will see spin becoming a little bit more of an option in New Zealand conditions."

WILL YOUNG

"Since my BLACKCAPS debut a few years ago, I've been in and out of the squad through form; through selection; I've been a reserve batter for quite a lot of campaigns and come to know the feeling of running the drinks really well.

"So that means when I do get an opportunity to play, I get really excited about the opportunity to go out and play, in my own style, and do my thing.

"I'd also been well prepared in training, in the nets most days during the Sri Lanka tour and even before that, during the washed out week against Afghanistan in India. It would often be me and Michael Bracewell in the nets together, so I felt really well prepared to play this Series. We'd also had three really good camps back home, leading into the tour.

"So I was excited to play in India and it was nice to return to a venue and know roughly what to expect.

"I think if you look at all three matches, there were different challenges in each. In Bengaluru, a lot of wickets fell to seam, while in Pune and Mumbai it was a lot more challenging against spin.

"It was very satisfying to perform with the ball turning quite a lot.

"I felt that moving down the crease might be a bit risky so at times, when the field was to my liking and I felt the sweep was on, I was prepared to have the courage to try sweeping.

"We're starting to get a feel now for touring in the subcontinent, in the heat, and on the turning tracks (and tracks that skid on are just as tricky).

"All of our batters have slightly different methods, and you just have to have the courage to back that and show your skills. To do it your own way.

"The feeling in the dressing room after we won the Series, and swept the Series, that's why we play the game."

THE THIRD TEST SCORECARD

Article added: Monday 4 November 2024