New Zealand’s captain, Michael Bracewell, praised his team’s historic accomplishment after they secured their first-ever ODI series victory in India, expressing that being the first team to achieve this milestone is truly significant.

Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips contributed with impressive scores of 137 and 106, respectively, helping New Zealand reach a formidable total of 337/8 on a challenging black soil pitch, before the visitors managed to keep their composure to surpass Virat Kohli’s impressive 54th ODI century—124 runs off 108 balls—and bowled India out for 296 in just 46 overs.

“It’s always delightful to be here in India performing in front of such incredible fans and competing against a fantastic team. Achieving a series win here, the first for a New Zealand team, is truly significant.

“You always hold out hope when visiting to play some quality cricket. I believe we really adhered to what we know works as a team, and we managed to deliver excellent cricket in these conditions,” Bracewell stated during the post-match awards ceremony.

He also highlighted the influence of debutants on the tour and commended Daryl Mitchell for his consistency in the format. “We truly strive to collaborate as a team since we are the sum of our parts. That’s part of the Kiwi way; despite being a tiny nation at the bottom of the planet, we strive to cooperate in order to defeat some of the world’s larger nations.

“As a group, we really come together there, and it’s quite remarkable when things happen like that. For a few years now, he has been outstanding in the one-day format. He spearheaded the batting attack and performed admirably. He’s a really modest man, so it’s quite remarkable to watch him succeed and receive the credit he merits.

“It’s great when you introduce young people to international cricket and have two debutants on this tour.” It’s amazing to be able to witness how we are here and experience the masses. All three of them, especially those two rookies, have stood out and performed admirably for us, in my opinion. This tour has been especially enjoyable because of that. “It’s amazing how deep cricket is becoming in New Zealand,” Bracewell continued.

With a dominant 219-run partnership off 186 balls, with Phillips scoring 106, Mitchell and Phillips propelled the visitors to a substantial total. “It’s great to cross the line and be out there with your friends, immersed in the moment. I’m simply trying to focus on being truly present, which means that I’ll keep watching the ball and repeating that. Hopefully, I’ll make some wise choices along the way, and it’s fantastic to have some success.

“GP is a great friend, and it’s fantastic to see him reach 100 as well. As a group, we take great pride in our partnerships. Mitchell continued, “To do that with GP, who’s obviously been out injured for a long time as well, so I’m really proud of how he’s returned to what he’s doing.”

He also attributed his continued success in ODI cricket to the domestic cricket grind. “I love playing for my country, and it took me a while to get here, but I think that all those years of domestic cricket allowed me to learn my game and then figure out how I want to approach it.” He remarked, “I’m really proud to be a part of this group, and it’s pretty cool.”

Shubman Gill, the captain of India, said that his team’s performance in their 41-run defeat to New Zealand in the series final left them unhappy. He also stated that the team needs to think back and get better in preparation for more difficult tasks.

“We want to give him (Reddy) opportunities and enough overs when he’s out there and just see what kind of combinations work for us and what kind of deliveries work for him as well,” Gill said, keeping in mind the World Cup and its location.