India did not become the bad side overnight: Tom Latham came to the aid of ‘under fire’ Rohit Sharma

New Zealand captain Tom Latham came to Rohit Sharma’s aid after the historic Test series win on Saturday (October 26). Speaking at the post-match press conference, Latham said India did not become a bad side overnight.

New Zealand took an unassailable lead in the 3-match Test series by defeating India by 113 runs in Pune. With this defeat, India were in danger of losing the last spot of the World Test Championship with six more Tests left to be played.

India captain Rohit Sharma was asked some tough questions at the press conference. Sharma said India should not react hastily and the team was given time off in between. The Indian skipper faced a lot of criticism for telling the media that one series defeat in 12 years is allowed.

IND vs NZ, Pune Test: Match Report

Latham, who came to Rohit’s defense at the press conference, said that they expect India to show its best performance in the 3rd Test match of the series, which will start in Mumbai on November 1. Latham added that the match developed very quickly on the 3rd day. New Zealand is expected to be put in a tough spot by the home team.

“The way (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, Rohit (Sharma) and Shubman (Gill) came out and played, they definitely put us under pressure and we knew it would be difficult to take all 10 wickets,” he said.

“It was good that it happened so quickly but look, India are a quality team, they don’t turn into a bad team overnight or a bad team after a few games. They have players in their squad who have won a lot of matches from 1 to 15 and sometimes that’s the game we play, sometimes Even if you play well you can get on the wrong side. We definitely expect them to do their best in Mumbai and the boys will be looking forward to that challenge,” Latham said about the Indian team.

IND – NZ, 2nd Test Day 3: Highlights | scorecard

The captain was at a loss as to what to say when asked about the team’s historic success. New Zealand have been touring India for 70 years and have never returned home with a series victory.

“I’m a little lost for words. Obviously this is an extremely proud moment for the group,” Latham said.

“We are very proud to be in a position to win two Test matches here. “A lot of New Zealand teams have come here over the past 69 years, I think so, and to be the first team in 13 series to win a series here is extremely special,” he added.