'One thing that we spoke about is having the courage to take a risk to get the field that you like' ©AFP
"And now to sit here talking to you...and having won the series 3-0 is something that none of us even dreamed of, to be honest. It's just...it's just incredible!"
It's less than 24 hours since Will Young clinched the Player of the Series award in New Zealand's stunning win in India. The morning after - another bright and sunny day in Mumbai - Young is still soaking it all in, trying to take stock of what he and his have achieved. It's what the group has been doing too, he says. Over "beer, soft drinks or whatever" and music.
"I remember in Pune, we obviously had the hour [long] bus journey back to the hotel, so we had the speaker going with the songs and everyone was singing along, which was fun."
In a week, New Zealand have managed to replicate those celebrations in Mumbai as well. "When we get back to the hotel, we've been superbly looked after in all the hotels we've stayed at. They put us up in a team room and we sit around and we're still wearing our whites and our baggy black caps. And yeah, just celebrations continue into the night."
In a conservative estimate, "we'll say it went past bedtime," Young says with a hearty laugh. It's one of the few times that he lets himself out fully. Some chuckles seep through now and then, but Young is largely measured, thoughtful and even-toned in expressing himself. At a press conference the previous evening, there was even a cheeky suggestion that he has a good voice for podcasts, met with a chuckle.
The happiness is wholesome, and palpable. Understandably so, for days like these don't come often for a cricketer, even lesser if you're from New Zealand, given how much lesser they play in comparison to a few others. And even more so for someone like Young, who has had an extraordinary journey himself, mirroring in many ways the giant steps that New Zealand kept taking through the series, surprising everyone around them and sometimes even themselves.
Pune showed that Bengaluru was no flash in the pan, while Mumbai came as the fitting crowning glory. Young, who has stood in for arguably
TAGS
