India vs New Zealand, 4th ODI: Tom Latham backs underfire Ross Taylor

Ranchi: New Zealand opener Tom Latham today backed underfire batsman Ross Taylor, who is battling poor form in the ongoing tour of India and and has also faced criticism from former captain Brendon McCullum.

In his autobiography 'Declared', McCullum derided Taylor for being uninspiring during his captaincy and someone who failed to communicate with the team.

"We haven't seen anything about that at the moment," Latham said when asked whether the book 'Declared' has affected Taylor off the field.

Taylor has been a shadow of his past with three ducks from six matches on the tour which included three Tests, and the veteran's sloppy fielding has left New Zealand searching for answers.

32-year-old's best score in the tour, spanning more than a month, has come in the last ODI -- a 57-ball 44 in their total of 285 all out in Mohali. But later he spilled Kohli's catch on six as the Indian batsman carried his bat through in an unbeaten 154 to seal a seven-wicket win.

Latham, however, was confident that Taylor who has returned among runs will contribute to the team as they get ready for the final two one-dayers.

"He's got a lot of experience and in the group also, there are many with lots of experience and some guys who haven't played much. Hopefully if we put right team performance together and play our best cricket, I certainly know we will go a long way.

"I suppose it was nice for Ross to spend a little bit of time in the middle in the last game and it looks as though he has come back to his usual self," said Latham.