Young dreams of winning another series in India

After being adjudged Player of the Series for a standout batting show successful challenging conditions arsenic New Zealand pulled disconnected a historical Test bid whitewash successful India astatine the extremity of 2024, Will Young has returned to acquainted territory. This time, however, the mounting is limited-overs cricket, with Young hopeful that a new-look New Zealand broadside tin erstwhile again execute the unthinkable.

New Zealand’s 3-0 Test bid triumph — the archetypal clip India had been whitewashed successful a three-Test bid astatine location — remains 1 of the astir singular results successful caller cricket history. As the Black Caps cogwheel up for a three-match ODI series, Young stressed that the memories of that triumph proceed to substance content wrong the camp.

“Obviously it’s a antithetic format from the past clip we were here, but the Black Caps person played immoderate large one-day cricket astatine location against England and the West Indies,” Young said connected Friday astatine the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium. “It’s a large accidental to travel implicit to India with a somewhat antithetic side. The imagination is to triumph different bid implicit present successful India.”

One of the elder members of the touring party, Young described the 2024 bid triumph — and his Player of the Series grant — arsenic a defining infinitesimal successful his career. “That bid is close astatine the apical for me,” helium said, acknowledging the value of performing successful Indian conditions against a formidable opponent.

However, Young besides conceded that the value of the ODI bid could beryllium overshadowed by the looming T20 World Cup, which begins successful conscionable 4 weeks. “Especially with the T20 World Cup astir the corner, it is casual for a bid similar this to get mislaid successful the bigger context,” helium said.

Yet, the 31-year-old emphasised the request to stay grounded. “Cricket teaches you to beryllium wherever your feet are. That’s precisely what this bid is astir — being contiguous and playing against an unthinkable Indian side,” helium said. “Those opportunities don’t travel astir each day, truthful we’re truly excited by that prospect.”

For New Zealand, the contiguous absorption whitethorn beryllium connected preparation, but content — forged by past — intelligibly remains intact.