NZ v IND | Credit to India for outplaying us in all departments, says Kane Williamson

Two matches down and the home side are yet to shake off their miserable tour of Australia. And on the same ground, where they showed much promise in the first encounter, the Kiwis succumbed tamely before a clinical display — across departments — from the Men in Blue.

“It was a tough day and the wicket was quite different from the first game. As a batting unit we needed probably another 15-20 runs more for a competitive total. Credit to the Indian bowlers for the way they restricted us, credit to the Indian side that put us under pressure and outplayed us in all the departments,” Williamson said at the post-match presentation, reported Cricbuzz.

Winning the toss and batting first, the Indian bowlers learned from their mistakes from Friday and choked the Blackcaps. The Kiwi skipper admits that a 133-run target on a small ground was never going to be enough. But with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli being dismissed cheaply, the hosts kept things interesting till the end before India’s prowess showed through.

“Even if we had 130 on the board on a small ground, we knew we had to take early wickets. I think, with the spinners, we were able to take the game to a point where something had to give. They showed the experience and took the game deeper, they were clinical,” he said.

With the visitors now on the brink of a series-win to start a long tour, the Kiwis are desperate to respond at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday.

“I need to bat a little better perhaps. That's something we would like to do. I don't think the surface changed too much. We need to be better in the next match. We need to keep moving forward as a group as we're up against a tough side like India. That's a great thing, we get to test ourselves against the best,” Williamson added.