New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was utterly honest to admit a “frustrating” defeat across departments in the recently concluded second T20I against India at the Bay Oval tonight.
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Failing to compete throughout the match, a 65-run loss has become New Zealand’s fifth-biggest T20I loss (by runs), fourth-biggest at home and second-biggest against India. Been bundled out for 126 in 18.5 overs chasing a 192-run target, New Zealand unintentionally continued a trend of chasing teams losing Mount Maunganui T20Is.
“It was not our best effort. They were outstanding. We weren’t up to the mark. We didn’t get momentum with the ball, didn’t get enough wickets and didn’t get momentum with the bat either. It was frustrating,” Williamson told Spark Sport during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Unfair to put entire blame on Williamson but the 32-year old player scoring 61 (52) at a disastrous strike rate of 117.30 did hamper their chances of registering their second-highest successful T20I run-chase.
Kane Williamson terms SKY T20 century at Bay Oval as one of the best knocks he’s ever seen
Not just sharing honest opinions around himself or his team, Williamson was also sincere whilst praising India batter Suryakumar Yadav for scoring a match-winning second T20I century. Williamson, who opined that Yadav’s whirlwind innings was the difference between the two teams on a Sunday night, didn’t hesitate from calling him the “best player” in the world.
“Surya’s [Suryakumar Yadav] innings was out of this world. One of the best knocks I’ve ever seen. Some of those shots, I’ve never seen before,” Williamson mentioned.
Having batted at a strike rate of 217.64 throughout his 51-ball stay in the middle, Yadav put on display a masterclass in modern-day T20 batting. Yadav, who seldom let any run-scoring opportunity go waste, was also successful in creating unconventional and unbelievable opportunities on his own.
While Indian batters have had a history of taking time before adjusting to the conditions of New Zealand, this 32-year old player playing a knock which will be remembered for the years to come in his first-ever match in the country speaks highly about his potential and current form.
