New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum did not realise the magnitude of his triple century until Monday.
“Then I saw the expectations, how much it meant to the whole country. There were so many people willing me on,” Man-of-the-Match McCullum said after the second Test.
Kiwi great Martin Crowe, whose 299 he went past, had egged him on too.
The prolific McCullum made 224 in the first Test in Auckland and followed it up with 302 here to ease past the 500-run mark in a two-Test series.
McCullum revealed he batted under pain because of a sore back and a dodgy left shoulder but added, “I willed myself on.”
The New Zealand captain conceded he was slightly anxious at the beginning of the day but said, “Then I decided to play the moment like we have done all summer. Even if you are beaten, take it out of your mind and focus on the next ball.”
McCullum said he spent the previous night with his father Stu. “I had a drink with the old man. Just relaxed.”
Interestingly, Stu McCullum wanted to leave for Christchurch on Monday afternoon but realised he had booked the wrong date after reaching the airport. Destiny made him watch his son reach the milestone.
McCullum junior was delighted with the series win which he attributed to team work and carrying out plans. On him not declaring earlier on Tuesday, he said, “After lunch on the third day we were staring down the barrel. We worked very hard to get to this position. We didn’t want to give it away. It was a pretty flat wicket as well.”
On captaincy lifting his standards as a cricketer, McCullum said, “As captain you want to lead from the front.”
He dwelt on going through a difficult phase ahead of the home season and then fighting his way through that period.
For McCullum, the series ended in a blaze of glory.
