JOIN USElated after managing to "surprise" India with consistent performances, New Zealand all-rounder Nathan McCullum today said his team will aim for a 4-0 result in the ongoing ODI series by going full throttle in the inconsequential fifth and final match here tomorrow.
At the same time, McCullum stated that the hosts will be wary of a backlash in the final match ahead of the crucial two-Test series starting in Auckland on February 6.
"I guess the Indian team has been surprised with how consistent we have been. But they have still played some fantastic cricket. We have just seen a great ODI series here and that's fantastic for one-day cricket and very exciting for international cricket," McCullum told reporters here.
"They will be quite hurt with the way we have taken things away from them at certain points but they are not too far away from performing at their best. So they probably have to give us a bit of credit as well for fantastic performances throughout the series," he opined.
The hosts have sealed the series with victories in Napier and Hamilton (twice), while tying the third ODI in Auckland.
"When we first set out to play this series, we thought a win would be really fantastic," said McCullum.
"But the way we have played this series, to be as consistent as we have, 4-0 will be a fantastic result. If we play as well as we have done the result will be irrelevant."
McCullum said the Kiwis have been a tad casual in their approach in the years gone by but that is changing for the better now.
"If you look at previous years of New Zealand cricket, we have seen a lackadaisical approach where we have lost a few games wherein we have wanted to win them. So this is not only an opportunity for us to win the series 4-0, but also to be consistent and that is the theme of the side at the moment.
New Zealand have done well against South Africa, England and India in the last calendar year, giving them immense confidence in this 2015 World Cup build-up year, a fact highlighted by McCullum.
"There are a lot of positives about the way we are going about our game at the moment. The other day we chased down a good total on a wicket that is pretty tough in New Zealand in terms of spin bowling."