New Zealand Test captain Tim Southee was left disappointed after his team’s defeat by an innings and 154 runs to Sri Lanka in the second Test at Galle International Stadium. Southee admitted that Sri Lanka is a tough place to tour as New Zealand suffered their first series defeat to them since 2009.
“Very tough, on the wrong side of a tough one. But this is a tough place to come. I think in this match it was a lot harder, but in the first game we could have pushed on a bit harder.,” Southee said in the post-match presentation on September 29.
New Zealand slumped to seventh position on the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 standings with their fifth loss from eight games. Their next Test series will be against India starting on October 16 at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. India have not lost a Test series at home for over a decade.
“Need to go home, regroup and go again. India is very similar to this part of the world,” the Kiwi pacer added.
Southee’s disappointing numbers in Test series against Sri Lanka
Southee was lacklustre with the ball. He managed to take just two wickets from two Tests. Often handy with the bat down the order, he scored just 17 runs from four innings.
Where do New Zealand stand on WTC points table?
In the current WTC cycle, New Zealand have a three-Test series against India followed by a three-Test series against England at home. The winners of the inaugural edition of WTC face an uphill task to qualify for their second final.
New Zealand’s Test record in India
New Zealand have never won a Test series on Indian soil. The last time New Zealand toured India was in 2021. India won the two-Test series 1-0 as New Zealand managed to draw the Kanpur Test with just one wicket in hand. Later, New Zealand lost the Test at Wankhede Stadium despite left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel’s 10-wicket haul.
The last time New Zealand won a Test against India was in 1988. New Zealand beat Dilip Vengsarkar-led India by 136 runs.
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