The Indian cricket team were outclassed by a superior New Zealand team in a Super 12 group 2 match of the ICC men’s T20 World Cup. After being invited to bat, India were restricted to a paltry 110 in 20 overs by a solid New Zealand bowling attack. In reply, the Kane Williamson-led team hardly broke a sweat as they romped to an 8-wicket victory in Dubai.

Talking about India’s performance in the contest, captain Virat Kohli expressed dismay. “To be brutal upfront, I don’t think we were brave enough with bat/ball. We obviously didn’t have much to play with the ball. We were just not brave enough in our body language when we entered the field and NZ had better intensity, body language,” Kohli said during a post-match presentation.

India kept losing wickets at regular intervals and could not find the momentum they were looking for.

“Every time we took a chance, we lost a wicket. It’s most often a result of hesitation of whether you should go for a shot or not. When you play for India, there are loads of expectations. We are watched, people come to the stadium and everyone who plays for India needs to embrace that and cope with it,” Kohli said.

“We haven’t done that in these two games, and that’s why we haven’t won. We have to be optimistic and positive and take calculated risks. We have to disconnect from the pressure and continue with our process, and play a positive brand of cricket. There’s a lot of cricket to play in the tournament,” the Indian right-handed batter said of the pressure.

Kane Williamson, the winning captain, said that the team adapted to the conditions well.

“There’s always planning to go into the game, but this was a great performance against a side that puts up a fight. The surface wasn’t easy to find rhythm on, and the way the openers came out really set things up for the chase. It’s just about adapting to the conditions as well as we could,” Williamson said.