With an unassailable 2-0 lead in their best-of-three test series against India, Black Caps coach Gary Stead would be forgiven for wanting to say “I told you so” to his detractors.
However, as a mark of the man, Stead is doing no such thing. Since succeeding Mike Hesson as New Zealand coach in 2018, Stead has presided over a series of historic achievements with the side.
His first test series was a 2-1 triumph away to Pakistan in the UAE, while a year later he coached the Black Caps to a World Cup final – New Zealand’s second in succession after losing the 2015 decider to Australia.
In 2021, he helmed the Black Caps’ winning of the inaugural World Test Championship, and backed it up months later by reaching the final of the T20 World Cup in the UAE.
Outside of leading the Black Caps to world finals in all three forms of the game, Stead is also the first person to coach New Zealand’s men to the mark of world No 1 test side.
And yet, the 52-year-old doesn’t seem to have the same adoration of his predecessor. When the Black Caps win, credit seems to go to the players by default. Yet when they lose, Stead is the one who cops the majority of the criticism.
Following the Black Caps’ 2-0 series defeat to Australia earlier this year and disastrous T20 World Cup campaign in the Caribbean and USA, there were some calling for Stead to go, and be sacked from his role entirely.
Months later, he’s the first coach since Andy Flower in 2012 to end India’s streak of 18 consecutive home test series wins. But even having silenced his detractors, Stead doesn’t feel the need to make himself the hero.
“It’s not about me,” he said. “It’s about our team trying to get better.
“I think we have a lot of trust in what we’re trying to do here as well. I certainly don’t feel any personal satisfaction.”
Up 2-0 with one to play, the chance for a series whitewash takes on even more significance in the race to reach the World Test Championship final.
While India hadn’t lost a home test series in 12 years, they’ve not been whitewashed since 2000.
At present, New Zealand sit fourth on the World Test Championship standings, with India and Australia holding the top two spots in the race to reach the final.
However, given those two sides will meet in a five-test series over the summer, and will therefore take points off one another, New Zealand have a mathematical chance – provided they win in Mumbai, and beat England 3-0 at home next month.
That situation is the same as the Black Caps had in 2020/21, when Stead’s side needed to beat the West Indies and Pakistan in four successive tests – and did – before beating India at Southampton.
Now, with a similar situation, Stead knows what his side is capable of doing, and has to start by beating India for a third time, when the series finale begins in Mumbai on Friday.
“For the World Test Championship itself, there’s no doubt that one more win would certainly help us,” he added.
“I remember the first time we were in this situation, we had to win four tests on the bounce and managed to.
“Hopefully there’s some similarities to that we can lean on and say ‘we’ve done it before, here’s an opportunity to do something special again’.”
Personally, Stead’s position with the side will undoubtedly be secured.
Before departing for India, New Zealand Cricket chief executive Scott Weenink backed Stead without question, and his faith has been more than justified.
However, Stead’s contract expires in mid-2025, and he says it’s still too early to think about if he wants to continue on past that date.
“New Zealand Cricket and I, when we get to that point we’ll have discussions around what it means for me, and them, in the future.
“We’re not at that stage of finalising anything yet. I’m sure when we do, you guys [the media] will be the first to know about it.
“But we’re not at that stage yet.”
Alex Powell is an online sports editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.