MS Dhoni says batting let us down after defeat against New Zealand: The Kiwi side continued its undefeated winning streak against India in T20Is after they out spun the hosts in the tournament opener by 47 runs. Batting first, the Black Caps posted a total of 126 runs on the board which made the Indians favorites to win the match. But in the unexpected turn of events, the Kiwi spinners proved too hot to handle for the Men-in-Blue. The Kiwi spinners accounted for nine Indian wickets out of the 10 in the match. Chasing a small target of 127 runs, the Indian side could manage only 79 runs on the board.
After such a big loss at the hands of the Kiwis, the Indian team has also suffered a massive disadvantage in Net Run Rate which proves a matter of paramount significance in latter stages of the tournament. It is notable that the Nagpur pitch was tailor-made for the spinners but this time around the Kiwi spinners outplayed the Indian spinners in the battle of spin. Mitchell Santner was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for his 4-wicket haul in the match.
Let’s have a look at what both the captains have to say after the match. The Indian skipper, MS Dhoni said that “It was a low-scoring wicket. We restricted them to a good total, but it was the batting that let us down. There were quite a few soft dismissals. The shot selection put a lot of pressure on the batsmen who were coming in. They bowled well, but at the same time, I felt we lacked a bit of adaptability. We are quite used to playing in these conditions. I feel 126 was a decent score, but it was the batting that let us down.”
When MSD was asked about his thumb he said, ”I think my thumb will be fine for the next match.”
The winning skipper, Kane Williamson opined, “Very pleased with the win. It was a tough surface. We would have probably liked a few more, but the boys bowled really well and it is pleasing to win against a quality side. We said we wanted to be aggressive at the start with the bat. It was tough to leave out both Southee and Boult. We looked to adapt to these conditions. The spinners paid off today. The wicket spun a lot. The best way to take wickets was to bowl our best balls and be really patient.”