Winning in India equal to WTC final victory: Tim Southee

New Zealand recently achieved what seemed nearly impossible for over a decade, defeating India in a Test series on their home soil. The historic victory ended India's commendable streak of 18 consecutive home series wins from 2012. Kiwis veteran pace bowler Tim Southee shared his thoughts on this monumental achievement.

For 12 years, teams including Australia, England, and South Africa had attempted and failed to defeat India at their home. New Zealand's victory in Bengaluru and Pune not only made it their first-ever Test series win in India but also showed that the mighty Indian team could be defeated in their backyard.

"Yeah, I think you just look at the history. What is it, 12 years that someone's been able to do and 18 series or whatever it is. It's a very, very tough place to come. I think if you look at it from my perspective and the cricket I've played in the past however many years, I think you look at India and Australia are the two places that are probably the most difficult to tour. Both the conditions, the quality of the opposition and how good they are at home makes it a tough place to tour," Southee told Cricbuzz.

The victory holds special place for Southee, who recently handed over the captaincy following the team's loss in Sri Lanka. When asked about ranking this achievement among his career highlights, he placed it alongside winning the World Test Championship.

"If you look back, it's hard to go past the World Test Championship and winning the World Test Championship. But this (series win vs India) is right up there, if not equal to that. I think it's hard to go past those two. It's certainly been a highlight of my career so far," Southee added.

Also Read: IND vs NZ 2024: Kane Williamson to miss Mumbai Test

Nice to be the side that's broken that run: Southee 

The speedster also shared his relationship with Indian greats and how locking horns with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and MS Dhoni.

"I guess one of the first things that comes to mind is - tough. It is tough. For us, coming from New Zealand, the conditions are so foreign. I think every time you come here, you're playing against a superstar outfit. I think you look back to that 2010 team, they're like Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir, Dravid, Laxman, Dhoni. Like, as a young guy, to be able to come over here and play against those guys was a dream come true," the Kiwi pacer further added.

What makes this victory particularly important is its potential impact on other teams. The 35-year-old believes that now the other team whenever tours India will have a stronger belief of defeating India in their own soil.

"But I think you look at this one in particular, 12 years, 18 series. It's nice to be that side that's broken that run. I guess it shows to other teams around the world that it is possible to beat India in India," Southee concluded.