Dubai: New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said the wicket wasn`t an easy one to bat but the Kiwis openers made things easy for the side against India in the ongoing T20 World Cup on Sunday. Trent Boult and Ish Sodhi starred with the ball before Daryl Mitchell smashed 49 off 35 to help New Zealand defeat India by eight wickets on Sunday.
“There`s always planning going into the game, but this was a great performance against a side that puts up a fight. The surface wasn`t easy to find a rhythm on, and the way the openers came out really set things up for the chase,” said Williamson after the match.
Williamson also praised New Zealand`s spinners and said the Kiwi side has adapted well to the conditions here in the UAE.
“It`s just about adapting to the conditions as well as we could. The way the spinners kept applying pressure was commendable and it was a complete performance,” said Williamson.
“We play against strong teams all the time, and there are match-winners in every side, and we commit to our brand of cricket and today was a good example of that,” he added.
“Ish is an outstanding white-ball bowler, and he`s very experienced in playing T20 cricket, having played in different leagues all over the world, and we`re looking forward to the rest of the games in the league stages,” he signed off.
Kane Williamson cut a happy figure after #NewZealand‘s big win over India
Hear what the @BLACKCAPS skipper had to say post-match #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/tITGrg6OU6
— ICC (@ICC) October 31, 2021
Mitchell and Kane Williamson stitched a 72-run stand for the second wicket to steer the New Zealand chase.
With this defeat, India has now lost two games in the ongoing tournament while New Zealand has bounced back after losing the first match.