Black Caps ready for decider - Taylor
Ross Taylor says a shot at history has the Black Caps pumped for this weekend’s one-day decider against India.
New Zealand have never won a one-day series in India but have a chance of achieving the improbable after claiming a 19-run win on Thursday to tie the five-match series 2-2.
The Black Caps have transferred to Visakhapatnam for the decider tonight and a chance to cap off a demanding four month stint on the road that started in Zimbabwe in July, took in South Africa and then India where they have rebounded from a 3-0 test series loss to prove more than competitive in the limited overs format.
The Black Caps have done well in tournaments in India but have struggled in head-to-head situations with the Indian team. Taylor wants that changed.
‘‘Four months on the road becomes tough but going into a decider it’s pretty easy to get up for. We have not won a series here. We are looking forward to it. We know what we need to do to win here,’’ Taylor said.
‘‘You don’t often win series away from home especially in the sub-continent. It’s a pretty exciting time.’’
Taylor, a regular tourist to India and a senior player with IPL experience, acknowledged the difficult playing conditions on the sub-continent but believed the Black Caps had made adjustments as their tour evolved.
‘‘Hopefully we can continue the progress we have made in the last couple of games. Hopefully we can replicate our performance in three days time.’’
After a lean test series, Taylor has built some form in the onedayers with scores of 0, 21, 44 and 35.
He felt the latest win in Ranchi showed how difficult conditions were but also how resilient the team had become as they managed to comfortably defend 260-7.
‘‘It was a pretty tough wicket. Martin Guptill and Tom Latham got us to a good start. Once the ball got softer, it showed how tough it was to rotate the strike,’’ Taylor said.
‘‘Kane was struggling out there as well. But we were always confident to defend 260. We picked up crucial wickets along the way.’’