IND vs NZ | Super Over experience important for New Zealand in handling crunch situations, admits Kane Williamson

After a steady show in the 1st T20I, New Zealand let India steamroll over them in the 2nd T20I at Eden Park in Auckland. The 3rd T20I, at the Seddon Park in Hamilton, was indeed a case of the hosts relatively upping their game despite the defeat. However, in the final over of their chase, Mohammad Shami got rid of Williamson(95) and the hosts were lost with just two runs required off the last three deliveries. That took the game into a Super Over.

As we are all witness to Super Overs not being best friends with the Black Caps, history was repeated once again as India trumped the hosts and winning the series 3-0. Williamson has admitted that it wasn’t an ideal situation for them but it’s only a part of their learning curve.

“Super overs haven't been too successful for us so we needed to be a little bit better to win it in regular time. A great game of cricket, India again showed their experience in the crunch situation. It is a really important experience for us to take from and move on,” Williamson was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

After having won the toss, the hosts opted to bowl first and India enjoyed a great start with Rohit Sharma firing. However, after the Indian openers were removed, New Zealand bowlers were able to control runs in the middle overs and Williamson has hailed that effort.

“We bowled well after they got off to a superb start. There was in it for the bowlers but both sides maximised shorter side of the boundary towards the scoreboard and made a very good game of cricket. Very disappointing after coming off from an effort like that,” the New Zealand skipper added.

Chasing a target of 180, skipper Williamson produced his absolute best for New Zealand, hitting eight fours and six sixes in his quickfire 95. But his final over dismissal cost the team a series saving game. However, the captain is positive about the team bettering their own form exponentially.

“It was nice to spend some time in the middle and build some partnerships because starting on this deck wasn't easy. It was disappointing not to cross the finishing line. It is a game of small margins. It was a much better performance from us. Eden Park was not bad, we spoke about getting 15-20 more and that's a couple of good decisions away,” Williamson concluded.