Ian Smith can't hide his emotions after New Zealand's historic 3-0 series win against India, saying on air he “shed a tear”.

The last two weeks have been an incredible time for New Zealand cricket as the women's T20 World Cup victory in the United Arab Emirates was backed up by the men's phenomenal first series win in India with an impressive 3-0 performance in their 25-run victory at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Tom Latham's side's impressive performance saw them dominate India in all three matches, tackling with utmost skill and confidence what was often considered the toughest task in world cricket.

It was a significant moment for everyone involved in New Zealand cricket, including long-serving commentator Ian Smith, who was part of the commentary panel and has been the voice of Black Caps cricket in many ways for many years.

Smith, who represented New Zealand as a wicketkeeper in over 60 Tests and 90 ODIs in the 1980s and 1990s, admitted at the end of the Test that he took a moment to “shed a tear” after the result was confirmed, a milestone for a New Zealand team that has always punched above its weight but has made an exclamation point with this remarkable achievement.

Smith has been on the microphone for some of New Zealand's most heartbreaking moments, including his famous Super Over call on the last ball of the 2019 ODI World Cup final, where he had to brutally announce his country's defeat to hosts England. As a huge figure in New Zealand cricket who has witnessed so many ups and downs for the Kiwis, all fans would feel that Smith was well within his rights to enjoy the moment at the Wankhede Stadium.

Kiwis want to continue their momentum

New Zealand, captained by Latham following Tim Southee's decision to step down as captain, began their tour of India after abysmal results against Sri Lanka the month before. With many expecting India to take a comfortable series win, the Kiwis took advantage of the overcast and pacer-friendly conditions to defeat India by 46 in the first Test in Bangalore and continued this momentum throughout the series. The phenomenal performances of Mitchell Santner in Pune and Ajaz Patel in Mumbai made the Indian batting force look unhappy in response.

The Kiwis now return to Sri Lanka for a white-ball series in both T20Is and ODIs before preparing to host England in a three-match Test series in December.