Replacing a player of Kane Williamson’s stature can be a daunting task, but Will Young, who was instrumental in New Zealand’s historic 3-0 Test series win in India, saw it as an opportunity to to create his own brand after “rolling the drinks” as backup dough for four years. If New Zealand’s batting looked weak with Williamson missing India for the first Test in Bengaluru due to injury, the 31-year-old dispelled any such doubts with an unbeaten 48 as the Kiwis hammered the hosts with eight wickets.

As it became apparent that Williamson would not make it to India in time to help New Zealand send the Tests to Pune and Mumbai, Young gave ample indication that he was up for the challenge.

“Since my debut about four years ago, I’ve been in and out through form (or) selection.

“I’ve been a back-up batsman for a few years now, so I’ve come to know the feeling of rolling the drinks really well,” Young told the media after New Zealand’s historic win, hinting that he was always prepared.

“When I get the chance to play, I’m more excited to go out and do my own thing in my own way and not try to replace Kane or whoever it might be, just play my own game and I see it as a wonderful opportunity rather than big boots to fill,” he added.

Young acknowledged the role played by Williamson in the New Zealand training camps at home and also during his presence on previous assignments in the Indian subcontinent.

“Unfortunately, Kane is not here and if he was, he would be a great person to lean on and ask what he thinks in certain situations. We also had three really good camps leading up to the home run and he was in those camps.

“But it’s great at the moment because we’ve got fantastic doughs across our range and they all have slightly different methods and on the day you just have to pick which method you think will work and you’ve got to have the guts to stand up for that and – you show your skills

“Yeah, I try not to bat like Kane, I try to bat like me and do it my way,” he added.

For New Zealand, beating India at their own game on spinning wickets was as special as their series win in this part of the world, and Young admitted it was more satisfying to have scored runs on the turning tracks from Pune and Mumbai.

“If you look at all three matches, there were different challenges in each one. In Bangalore, a lot of wickets were spinning and then (in) Pune and Mumbai it was much more difficult against the spinners.” “As a New Zealander coming here and playing in Indian conditions, it’s always going to be a bit more satisfying to score runs against the spinners, so I guess scoring runs in Pune or Mumbai felt more special,” Young said , which ended the match. series as the third highest run rate.

With 244 runs at 48.80 in three Tests, Young finished behind India’s Rishabh Pant (261 runs) and compatriot Rachin Ravindra (256 runs).

However, his biggest contributions came in the third Test in Mumbai, when Young’s 71 and 51 in the two innings helped New Zealand become the first team to beat India 3-0 in their own backyard .

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)