'Play with bit of freedom, no fear' - Tom Latham opens up on playing strategy for upcoming India series

With New Zealand preparing to face India in a three-match Test series, newly appointed full-time Test captain Tom Latham has asked for a fearless and aggressive approach. Under Latham, the Black Caps are looking to bounce back and give a fresh approach to their Test cricket.

New Zealand's Test cricket record in India has been historically poor, with only two victories in 36 matches, dating back to 1969 and 1988. The team's recent performance in Sri Lanka was not up to the mark as they suffered a 2-0 series defeat. 

"From my point of view it's about trying to continue doing the good stuff we've been doing, trying to put my spin on things. It's an exciting challenging going over to India and once we can go over there hopefully [we can] play with a bit of freedom, bit of no fear and try and take it to them. If we do that hopefully gives ourselves a good chance," Latham said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

The new captain spoke about the importance of putting pressure on the opposition, particularly with the bat. The southpaw opened up on clear plans for the upcoming series and is hoping for a fearless brand of cricket from his side.

"Think in India we've seen teams that have done well out there in the past have been quite aggressive towards them, especially with the bat they've looked to play a few shots, but also put them under pressure which is really important over there rather than sitting and waiting for something to happen. We'll decide on how we want to play when we get over there, but guys have got plans around how they like to approach things and hopefully we can fine tune those," he added.

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Despite recent setbacks, Latham is optimistic about the team's potential. He pointed out at the positive aspects of their performance in Sri Lanka, particularly their batting approach.

"We actually did some really good things in Sri Lanka. We fell on the wrong sides of the results but there were some good things. The approach we had with the bat, apart from that one innings I thought we played really well. So it's about continuing that as much as we can and trying to play a brand that we are proud of playing and if we do that hopefully it gives us a good chance," Kiwi skipper further added.

As captain, Latham faces tough decisions, including the selection of former captain Tim Southee, who has experienced a lean period in Test cricket. However, Latham is backing Southee's experience, citing his previous success in India.

"If you look back, think in Bangalore [Southee] took seven wickets last time we toured there. Someone with that amount of experience who's done it for many years there's certainly no reason why he can't get back to where he's been in the past. He's been a fantastic bowler for us for many years, there's a reason why he's so high on the wicket list for New Zealand," Latham concluded.

The three-match Test series is set to begin on October 16 at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The next two Test matches will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune and Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, respectively.