“It’s been 12 years, 18 series…” Tim Southee makes a massive statement on blackcaps beating India in their own backyard.

In every global event, New Zealand has always managed to trouble India. And now they have become the first team since 2012 to beat India in a Test series on their home soil. It also stopped India’s record of 18 Test series victories straight at home. Tim Southee, who was once the captain of the team and had a successful career as a fast bowler, states that India is one of the two hardest places to play Test cricket in the world.

“Yeah, I think you just look at the history,” Southee told Cricbuzz while replying to a question on whether it is the toughest assignment for cricketers to go on an India tour. “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 guess if you ask me and within the realm of the international career span that I have played including all those years, I think by far the hardest places to tour in cricket are India and Australia. Both the conditions and the quality of opponents as well as how well they play at home makes it a very hard place to tour.”

Having bounced back from a humiliating defeat in the first Test match, New Zealand then took the second Test match played in Bengaluru Test employing the seam and swing friendly conditions to register an eight-wicket victory before outsmarting India on a spin friendly pitch by 113 runs in less than three days to lead the three-match series 2-0.

The feeling, according to Southee, is that India are beatable even in their own backyard.

“…I mean if you look at this one towards the end, it’s been 12 years, 18 series. Cool. It is nice to be that side that has ended that streak. I suppose it gives hope to other nations across the globe that even in India, one can defeat India,” he added.

Southee considers that winning the current series in India has the same weight as the WTC title conquest.

“I think you look back and it’s difficult to go over the hump that is the World Test Championship and winning the World Test Championship. But this is right up there if not equal to that. I think it’s difficult to go past those two. It has definitely been one of the highlights of my career until this point,” he said.