Tim Southee had a crucial hand in New Zealand becoming the first team in 12 years to win a Test series against India in India. He took the catch that signalled that incredible achievement. The rare fast bowler who is good enough to field in the slips, he pulled off an absolute screamer to get rid of Usman Khawaja earlier this year in Christchurch; that ball barely rose up off the ground, but the little it did was enough.
In Pune, Southee was stationed on the long-on boundary, which was a hot spot considering Ajaz Patel was spinning the ball into the left-hand batter Ravindra Jadeja. The ball was tossed up. The batter came down the track. The connection was sweet. But once again, in a display of a different kind of agility, Southee ran to his left, staying perfectly balanced even though there was only inches between his feet and the boundary rope; reached up, and out in front of him, as he decelerated; and the ball just nestled in there, safe and snug.
New Zealand are in the position they are now - 2-0 up with one more to play - in part because Southee is really, really good at not letting things go. He gets frustrated when his efforts to that end don't pan out. At training on Wednesday, he went for a pull shot and didn't connect. As the net rippled behind him, he clutched the bat handle tighter and seemed to wring it.
Six back-to-back Tests in the subcontinent is the kind of assignment that New Zealand have rarely had. The batters would be put through an examination. The bowlers would be tested on their endurance. Everybody knew they were second-favourites. Ajaz, even now, considers India to have the wood over them in playing on spin-friendly pitches, which is true, but is still a pretty self-aware thing to say after demonstrably beating them at their own game just a few days ago.
In the build-up to this set of fixtures, there was an understanding that New Zealand might have to take an extreme measure and drop their captain. It isn't unprecedented. New Zealand went through the entire 2016 T20 World Cup in India with their two premier fast bowlers warming the bench. They capped Will Somerville in 2018; he was 34, and into his 13th year as a first-class cricketer. Except, unlike those two instances, which nobody saw coming, there were conversations this time - both on the inside and out - about how Southee, the guy that doesn't like to let go, might have to.
When the squad for the Afghanistan Test, which got rained out, was announced in August, the head coach Gary Stead said: "While we're going over with an open mind around conditions, there is an understanding that all our bowling options may be needed across the different Tests. Tim and I have discussed this, and the need during these overseas tours to balance the workloads of the pace bowlers, including himself, to ensure the team is best served."
Southee was the Test captain when that squad was announced. He was appointed in 2022, 14 years on from his international debut. He had never performed the role - even in a stand-in capacity - in red-ball cricket, and was chosen over someone who had. NZC's decision to look past Tom Latham raised a few eyebrows. But it did serve to recognise a cricketer who had given them so much for so long. A fast bowler who has found ways to reinvent himself; who refused to believe there wasn't a way for him to matter, even when he lost his pace, even when he lost his swing.
Southee produced one of the great displays of fast bowling on New Zealand's last tour of India, a slow and low Kanpur pitch only adding to the sheen of every wicket he took. There were five wickets in the first innings - at the cost of just 2.49 runs per over - and three more in the second. He would have backed himself to do something similar this time around, but in Sri Lanka, it became clear that there was a problem. A 2-0 defeat where they gave up over 600 runs and then got bundled for 88 in reply forced a serious bit of introspection. Two days after that series, Southee stepped down. Stead was part of the discussion that led to this decision. He said they were "delicate".
New Zealand now had the option of balancing their bowling attack a bit better; have enough spinners to exploit pitches that favour them, and bring in quick bowlers who could take the surface out of play, like Will O'Rourke. But, as it turned out, the rain in Bengaluru made sure that conditions favoured fast bowling, too. Southee started the slide that led to 46 all out. And in Pune, he took the only wicket that didn't go to the spinners. In Mumbai, his zen-ness may be tested again. Matt Henry was bowling full tilt in the nets. It's likely that he will be back in the XI and someone will have to make way. It won't be the two spinners; probably won't be the 6'4" point-of-difference fast bowler either.
Southee's contribution to this win, with his primary discipline, is three wickets. He was arguably more effective with the bat, helping New Zealand push their lead in the first Test to 350-plus, and pushing ever higher on the list of the most prolific six-hitters in the format's history. But more than all that, he has done something that is not always straightforward. He put the team's needs ahead at significant personal cost.
"Captaining the Black Caps in a format that's so special to me has been an absolute honour and a privilege," Southee said. "I've always tried to put the team first throughout my career, and I believe this decision is the best for the team."
New Zealand are in the position they are now - dreaming of a 3-0 win over India in India - in part because one of their greatest ever players was okay letting go of something he loved.