Kyle Jamieson of New Zealand celebrating the wicket of R Ashwin of India during day four of the 1st Test match between India and New Zealand. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Kyle Jamieson of New Zealand celebrating the wicket of R Ashwin of India during day four of the 1st Test match between India and New Zealand. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Today the Black Caps enter the cauldron of Wankhede Stadium on Mumbai's waterfront as another frontier in the country's test cricket annals looms; a first series victory in 12 attempts away against India.
Alexander the Great, at least according to Die Hard villain Hans Gruber, once said that when he"saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer".
The prospect of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson doing that, as a candidate for the most measured man to have played the game, seem slim.
However, such a moot point cannot distract from another illustrious chapter being within the world champions' grasp.
South Africa is the only other top-10 side the New Zealanders are yet to defeat away in their 91-year test history.
One man who knows as much as any of his compatriots about what it takes to win in Mumbai is John Wright.
He captained the New Zealand team to the second victory of their now 35 test appearances in India at what was then Bombay in 1988. Graham Dowling led the country to its maiden triumph at Nagpur in 1969.
Wright has coached India in several tests at the ground and mentored the Mumbai Indians to the Indian Premier League Twenty20 title in 2013 during his maiden season in charge.
"It's the noisiest ground in the country when it's full with a fast outfield – shots that beat the in-field tend to go for four – and the pitch is red clay so has more bounce than most in India. When it turns it really bites and can become a batting nightmare.
"But one of the marvellous things about being a captain in India is that you never have to worry about what to do when you win the toss…"
Wright was in that position 33 years ago ahead of the second test.
They had lost the first in Bangalore, a match famous for Sir Richard Hadlee taking his world record 374th test wicket and for the fielding efforts of radio commentator Jeremy Coney and television reporter Ken Nicholson while several team members contributed more runs off the park than on.
At Mumbai, New Zealand initially squandered their batting advantage. Manager Bob Cunis inadvertently gave Wright a name for his forthcoming book as batsmen spun through a revolving dressing room door. The late Cunis leant over and asked whether his skipper fancied Christmas in Rarotonga?
Indian coach John Wright talks to spin bowler Harbhajan Singh in 2002. Photo / Getty Images.
"I said 'what the hell are you talking about?' and he said 'well, if you lose this one we'd best not go home.
"That 1988 surface started turning on the first day, and the match was decided by the end of the third [with just three Indian wickets remaining]."
Man-of-the-match John Bracewell, with an aggregate of eight wickets for 132 and 84 runs, and Hadlee with 10 wickets for 88, were backed by a comprehensive team performance.
"Going to India is special," Wright says of a series they eventually conceded 2-1.
"It's one of those opportunities where a team can get close and fight together. We managed to get through a sticky part of the game and applied pressure."
India were 137 for seven heading into the rest day needing a further 155 runs to win.
As Wright noted in his autobiography: "We had a big night… threw the team room open to media and supporters.
"I went to bed at a reasonable hour but at 3am some of the lads conducted an experiment to test the velocity generated by full Kiwi Lager cans dropped from the 20th floor. I don't think they extended the frontiers of scientific knowledge.
"I think of it as the greatest game I've played in but, if we'd lost, it wouldn't be getting a chapter in my book."
The Herald spoke to Wright as the now 67-year-old moved stock on his Canterbury farm.
How can the Black Caps' incumbents give themselves the best chance of replicating that 136-run triumph by their forebears?
"New Zealand competed really well in Kanpur after losing the toss, so they'd take heart from that.
"They have an opportunity to create another first and you always hope to be part of teams that can achieve that. They look like a team that can fight, so go in with a good attitude.
"I also think they need to keep an open mind. Teams sometimes think 'well, we've got to play spin'. Sometimes that can be an error because in reality you have to play your four best bowlers. You definitely need one spinner, but that's a key decision."
