Regardless of the outcome, Mitchell Santner, the captain of New Zealand, reaffirmed that playing India in their home field is the best way to get ready for the World Cup. The spin-bowling all-rounder acknowledged that the Indian players had put his team through a lot of pressure in the first four Twenty20 Internationals in the five-match series.
New Zealand eventually started the T20I series on Wednesday, January 28. The series score is now 1-3 after the Kiwis won the fourth Twenty20 International by 50 runs at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
“I stated at the beginning of the series that, regardless of the outcome, playing India in India is the best way to prepare for a World Cup. Both earlier in the series and tonight, we’ve been put to the test,” Santner stated during the news conference following the game.
Santner thinks that the lessons learnt from the current series will be helpful if New Zealand plays India at any stage during the T20 World Cup next month. “It’s about learning, putting players into specific roles, and seeing how they respond under pressure,” he says.
“Those experiences are invaluable if we play India again in a World Cup, which is highly likely,” Santner stated.
The Black Caps were under unprecedented strain after losing the first three games without putting up much of a fight. But according to Santner, putting a team in these situations fosters growth.
“Although difficult, pressure situations are also opportunities for personal development. This is about as difficult as it gets,” Santner remarked.
New Zealand was asked to bat first after losing the toss in the fourth Twenty20 International. Tim Seifert top-scored with a 36-ball 62 as they compiled 215/7. The tourists put up a formidable score thanks to the helpful efforts of Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell.
India never truly recovered after losing two wickets in the first two overs of their reply. With a 23-ball 65 at the end of the innings, Shivam Dube did put up a heroic fight, but it just narrowed the hosts’ deficit.
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