As New Zealand prepares for a challenging three-match Test series against India, their newly appointed full-time Test captain, Tom Latham, has urged his team to adopt a bold and fearless approach. Latham, who recently succeeded Tim Southee after New Zealand’s series against Sri Lanka, believes that playing with freedom and confidence is key to overcoming India’s dominant home record in the longest format of the game.

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New Zealand's Test record in India has been historically poor, with just two wins out of 36 matches. The Black Caps last tasted victory in India in 1988, which highlights the enormity of the task ahead.

Speaking ahead of the series, Latham emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive mindset and taking the game to the opposition.

"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 challenge 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 it gives ourselves a good chance," Latham said.

"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," Latham added.

Reflecting on New Zealand’s recent tour of Sri Lanka, Latham acknowledged the challenges but also pointed out that there were positives to build on.

"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," Latham remarked.

This upcoming series will mark Latham’s first major assignment as full-time Test captain, though he has led the team in nine previous matches as a stand-in for Kane Williamson. Now, with the full-time captaincy, Latham is keen to make his mark on the team’s identity.

"I will certainly be leaning on those experiences. Obviously, a different situation being full-time where you can put your own spin on things, but I think what I want to do is encourage guys to be themselves, be leaders amongst themselves as well, and hopefully, if we can do that, we can play the brand of cricket we want to play," Latham concluded.