T20 World Cup 2021 | Restricting a star-studded team like India to 110 was special, says Gary Stead

11/01/2021

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said that restricting the star-studded Indian batting line-up to 110/7 was special for his team. The Blackcaps chased down the target in just 14.3 overs to defeat the Virat Kohli-led side by eight wickets in their Super 12 encounter in Dubai on Sunday, October 31.

After winning the toss, Kane Williamson opted to bowl first, and the New Zealand bowlers unleashed thier skills as they bowled a whooping 54 dot balls and conceded only two sixes and eight fours against the Indian batsmen. Ravindra Jadeja (26*) and Hardik Pandya (23) were the only Indian batsmen who managed to cross 20. For New Zealand, Trent Boult led the way with three wickets, whereas Ish Sodhi returned 2/17. In reply, New Zealand chased down the target with absolute ease as Daryl Mitchell (49) and Williamson (33*) helped thier side to claim their first victory at the Super 12 stage.

Meanwhile, Gary Stead stated that it was special to restrict the star-studded Indian batting lineup to 110/7. He further lauded his bowlers for thier outstanding performance in the match.

"I thought the bowling effort was absolutely outstanding, possibly up there with the best performance I've seen in my time with the T20 bowling team," Stead told reporters from the United Arab Emirates.

"To restrict a star-studded team like India to 110 was really, really special and then I thought the batting was really, really clinical."

Stead further added that the structure of Group 2 makes it difficult for the losing team to stay alive in the tournament.

"It's hard to say if it was 'must win' or not because it's pretty early in the tournament," Stead added.

"But you would imagine the way the group is structured that it's going to be very difficult for the team that didn't win to get through to the semi-finals."

Speaking on New Zealand's upcoming matches, the 49-year-old reckoned that the net run rate is very important, and the Black Caps won’t take any opponent lightly.

"Net run rate is always important. Afghanistan have got a big lead on everyone at the moment, but we'll just have to see how the next two games play out before we play Afghanistan," he said.

"But, at the end of the day, if we win all three games, it is in our hands, and that's certainly our goal."

New Zealand will next face Scotland on Wednesday, November 3 in Dubai.