‘Play with a bit of freedom, no fear’- Tom Latham opens up playing strategy for upcoming India series

As New Zealand gears up for a three-match Test series against India, their recently appointed full-time captain Tom Latham has called for an audacious and aggressive attitude. The Black Caps are hoping to recover under Latham and adopt a new strategy for playing Test cricket.

Only two of New Zealand’s 36 Test cricket matches in India have resulted in victory, a record that dates back to 1968 and 1988. The team lost the series 2-0, which was a poor result given their recent performance in Sri Lanka.

“In my opinion, it’s about attempting to carry on with the positive work we’ve been doing while adding my own touch. Traveling to India is a thrilling and hard experience. Hopefully, once we get there, we will be able to play with some freedom and fearlessness and try to impress them. As stated by Latham, “If we do that, hopefully it gives us a good chance.”

The recently appointed captain stressed the value of applying pressure to the opposition, especially while using the bat. The southpaw expressed his clear intentions for the forthcoming series and expressed hope that his team will play brave cricket.

“Instead of just sitting back and waiting for something to happen, we’ve seen teams that have performed well in India in the past to be fairly aggressive towards them, particularly with the bat as they’ve looked to play a few shots but also put them under pressure. When we go there, we’ll decide how we want to play, but until then, the lads have plans for how they prefer to approach things, so maybe we can work those out,” he continued.

Tim Southee is ranked highly on the New Zealand wicket list for a reason: Tom Latham

Latham believes the team has potential despite recent losses. He emphasized their performance’s positives in Sri Lanka, especially their batting strategy.

In fact, we accomplished a lot of excellent work in Sri Lanka. Although we didn’t like the outcomes, there were some positive aspects. With the exception of that one inning, I think we played fairly well considering our bat strategy. The Kiwi captain continued, “So it’s about continuing that as much as we can and trying to play a brand that we are proud of playing, and hopefully it gives us a good chance.”

As captain, Latham must make difficult choices, such as picking former captain Tim Southee, who has gone through a slump in Test cricket. Latham, meanwhile, is endorsing Southee’s background by pointing to his prior achievements in India.

“Recall that the previous time we went on a tour to Bangalore, Southee grabbed seven wickets. There is absolutely no reason why he can’t return to his previous position given his level of experience and years of experience. There’s a reason he’s so high on New Zealand’s wicket list: he’s been a wonderful bowler for us for many years,” Latham said.

Also Read: New Zealand announces team for Test series against India, Kane Williamson to miss 1st Test

On October 16, the three-match Test series will kick off at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune and Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host the next two Test matches, respectively.