New Zealand are one win away from sealing the ODI series against the world champions, a remarkable achievement for the Kiwis. Both their wins were a result of their ability to win key moments and hold their nerve in tight situations. Pace bowler, Tim Southee, has attributed this winning attitude of the team to captain Brendon McCullum and coach Mike Hesson’s efforts.
"We have always been competitive in limited-overs cricket," Southee said. "We have shown we can beat anyone on our day. It is the consistency we are starting to show. We are not where we want to be. We are starting to get there. Good sides win series consistently and that is where we want to get.
"We are playing an aggressive, attacking style of cricket," he said. "That is the approach Brendon and Mike have brought to this side. They have worked very well together and it is showing that we can go out there and play our natural game freely. We are a naturally exciting batting line-up and have got ball strikers all the way down. If they go out there and put the runs on the board as they have, it will allow us bowlers to be aggressive all the way through the innings."
What also boosts Southee’s confidence ahead of the Auckland game is the pitch of Eden Park. "The pitch does offer a bit of pace and bounce, but generally it is a pretty good batting surface. With the small boundaries, it is a bit daunting for the bowlers but in the last couple of games it has managed to swing around a little bit. It does generally swing in here. So, hopefully we can make the most of that.
"If there is a little bit of pace in the wicket, short bowling will be an option. The square boundaries are a bit bigger and it will come into play as strategy. We have plans in place for each of their batsmen. The plans had worked well in the first game,” Southee said.
While the Kiwi pacers have gotten better of most Indian batsmen, Virat Kohli has been a major thorn in their throat. Southee seconds. "The Indian batsmen are all good players but Virat Kohli has been in great touch and has shown his class for a period now in international cricket. I don't think we have bowled particularly well to him. Once he gets going, he's shown that he is pretty hard to stop. He is in great nick and our job is to get him as early as possible.”
Another concern for New Zealand is the fact that they have not been in their best catching form in this series. Southee admits it is uncharacteristic of a team that pride themselves on their fielding.
"We want to be the best fielding side in the world and have got some exceptional fielders. The likes of (Martin) Guptill and the two McCullums. And Jesse (Ryder) throws himself around as well. The bowlers work hard on it and it is important we have got ten guys and a wicketkeeper out there who can field."
