With the
possibility of an early exit from the T20 World Cup looming large, India will
look to snap their losing streak in ICC events against bogey team New Zealand at the Dubai
International Stadium on Sunday. Both teams will be keen on picking up their first
points in Super 12 Group 2 after their respective losses against table-toppers Pakistan to keep their hopes of making the semifinals alive.

And Virat
Kohli is well aware of the enormity of the task that awaits against an
organised Blackcaps unit, having been bested by Kane Williamson’s side every
time he has faced them in an ICC event as captain.

“It has
become quite a competitive fixture now, last couple of ICC events they’ve knocked
us out of the way once and then beat us in the finals,” Kohli said in a video
posted on the T20 World Cup website.

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“I think
more than anything else….one needs to applaud their structure of cricket and
what they have been able to achieve in the last five, six years. In today’s
cricket, they are one of the top two sides when it comes to playing consistent
cricket and being relentless in their discipline.”

India last
beat New Zealand in an ICC event back in the 2003 World Cup, losing the fixture
in the 2007 and 2016 T20 World Cups apart from the heartbreak in the 2019 ODI
World Cup and the defeat in the World Test Championship final earlier this
year.

Meanwhile, veteran
spinner Ravichandran Ashwin lauded the meticulous planning the Kiwis approach
every opponent with.

“New Zealand
is a fine team. I think it’s a very smart team. They plan really well, they get
own to the details of how much they plan against an opponent. They are a tight
unit. They’ve got a wonderful captain in Kane Williamson who stays on top of
the game more often than not.”

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Ashwin also
highlighted the fact that India have never beaten New Zealand in a T20 World
Cup, saying it’s something that will be on people’s heads.

Opening
batsman Rohit Sharma said that the Kiwis were the “most tactical team in the
world” and that they were spot on during the semi-final of the 2019 ODI World
Cup, which India lost by 18 runs.

“We lost three
quick wickets in trying to figure out the pitch and what the opposition was
trying to do, which is why I said New Zealand, tactically they were so good on
that day, they put us under pressure right from the start and we were not able
to catch up with them.”

Star all-rounder
Ravindra Jadeja said India were not thinking about the past. “Now, it’s time to
look forward and think positive. Our goal is the World Cup, if we play good
cricket, we will win”.