The game between Australia and New Zealand set to be played at the picturesque stadium in Dharamsala is a highly anticipated one. New Zealand have looked dominant out of nowhere, after making a mockery out of the reputed Indian batting lineup.
However, Australian all-rounder Shane Watson is glowing with confidence, as he stated that his overall form against New Zealand would be handy. “Look there’s no doubt that the Kiwis always play very well and they always punch above their weight and they’ve been playing very good cricket especially over the last couple of years,” Watson said.
“But knowing the history I’ve had to play against them, we’ve always played very well against them as well and there’s still quite a few people – players who are still there in that New Zealand team – who know that history and have been involved in the history as well. So we’ll certainly be letting them know of that because they’re going to have to be at their absolute best to beat us,” Watson added. “In the end, we are going to have to play well whoever we play in this tournament no doubt,” Watson said. “But knowing that there’s a good rivalry and a good history there as well in big games that I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of against the Kiwis, hopefully, it follows a similar route.”
Watson also spoke about the need to start with a bang and with a victory. “It’s very difficult if you lost the first game but the way Twenty20 cricket goes, if you get on a roll, then you can be unstoppable,” said Watson. “It’s not the absolute be all and end all if we lose the first game but I’ve seen in so many tournaments that I’ve played in that if you get on a roll at the right time and qualify, that’s when a lot of teams win the tournaments.”But most importantly, to take the pressure off to start off – it would be ideal if we put out a very good performance in the first game.”