As a youngster Henry Nicholls grew up following Australian cricket teams and watching them feature in great series.
That is why Wednesday's drubbing at Eden Park gave him so much of satisfaction.
The left-handed Cantabrian scored his second half-century in eight one-day internationals to help guide New Zealand to a 159-run win over the tourists in the series-opener in Auckland.
He struck 61 off 67 balls to further cement his place, days after being included in the New Zealand squad for the World Twenty20 in India.
Nicholls is also favoured to bat at No.4 in his Test debut if Ross Taylor is ruled out of the longer-form series against Australia later in February.
"The Aussies, I grew up watching them and some of their great series. It was cool to be part of that game and to be part of a win as well."
Nicholls also belies his inexperience off the field, refusing to get carried away with their emphatic start to the three-match series.
He fully expects the stung tourists to bounce back for game two in Wellington on Saturday, particularly their power-packed batting line-up.
"It was one of the days that we really hit our straps with the ball, the way we came out and got those early wickets," he said.
"But it's a fickle game, cricket, it can turn pretty quickly."
Even if he has to bide his time, the 24-year-old has shown the composure and shot selection to suggest he will be the long-term middle-order replacement when captain Brendon McCullum retires.
Nicholls says he has felt at home since making his debut against Sri Lanka on Boxing Day, having crafted a tidy average of 39.4 from seven ODI innings.
Even the intense atmosphere at Eden Park and playing against a nation he followed intently as a youngster didn't play on his mind as he built a pivotal partnership of 100 with opener Martin Guptill (90).
"It's a really great culture we've got and the guys make it really easy to just go out there and trust your performance and contribute to team wins," he said.
