Learning quickly from the mistakes and backing it with a clinical performance helped India restore parity in the T20I series, in Auckland on Friday, emphasised stand-in captain Rohit Sharma.
After New Zealand elected to bat first and were looking good to reach around 180, especially during the Ross Taylor (42) and Colin de Grandhomme partnership for the fifth wicket, India’s bowlers did really well at the death to pull things back and restrict the hosts to 158/8.
All-rounder Krunal Pandya, who rocked New Zealand initially by taking three wickets — one of them (that of Daryl Mitchell) coming through a controversial umpiring decision despite the batsman taking DRS’s help — was adjudged Man of the Match.
Young left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed too did well, taking two wickets for just 27 as boundaries dried up for New Zealand in the death overs. In reply, India reached home comfortably, with Rohit making things easier at the top of the order with a 29-ball 50.
On way to his half-century, Rohit also became the highest run-getter in T20Is, surpassing Martin Guptill (2,272). Rohit now has overall 2,288 runs in this format.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, he said; “I’m very pleased to see how we bowled. We learnt from our mistakes and were quite clinical with the bat as well. It certainly was a clinical showing.
“We have quality in our side, but we executed our plans better in this game after learning from our mistakes. It’s really important to understand the mistakes that we made.”
Rohit didn’t want his players to take unnecessary pressure after a heavy defeat in the first game. “It’s been a long tour for everyone. So, we didn’t want to put a lot of pressure on the boys. We just wanted them to go out there with a clear mind,” he said.
Talking about the series decider in Hamilton on Sunday, Rohit said: “It’s going to be a cracker of a game in the third and T20I. But nothing to take away from New Zealand, for they’re still a quality side.”
Making it tougher for the Black Caps earlier with his crucial spell, Krunal said: “It felt really nice to contribute for the team. It’s always special when you contribute to a win.
“The dimensions here are quite different from that of Wellington. The straight boundaries are short and I had to adjust my length accordingly… I’m really looking forward to the decider.”
India did have discussions regarding the short boundaries of the Eden Park, which tends to make the job a tad more difficult for bowler if they err on line and length, said Khaleel.
“We had discussions regarding the shorter boundaries here. Rohit did tell us about them and which areas we should target while bowling to keep the run flow in check.
“Rohit, in fact, spoke a lot about this and I’m happy that I was able to execute the plans well,” Khaleel stressed.
