Adapting to conditions helped team's performance: Katich

05 October,2011 12:48 PM IST |   |  PTI

Australian team New South Wales captain Simon Katich says his side has managed to reach the Champions League Twenty20 semifinals due to its ability to adapt quickly in foreign conditions.


Australian team New South Wales captain Simon Katich says his side has managed to reach the Champions League Twenty20 semifinals due to its ability to adapt quickly in foreign conditions.

"As the tournament progressed we adapted to the conditions quite well," said Katich after NSW beat Chennai Super Kings by 46 runs to book their semifinals berth.

Talking about the match last night, Katich lavished praise on opener David Warner, who notched up a sensational 69-ball 135.

"We had no preconceived notions of a target. We didn't know what exactly a safe score on the wicket was. In that perspective, Warner's innings was special. To get to 200, and to win it like that was really great," he said.

Warner said he specifically targeted off-spinner R Ashwin during his blistering knock.

"We knew he was one of their wicket-takers, so as much he thinks he needs to get on top of us, so do we. We wanted to unsettle him, and the reverse shots unsettled him. After my first hit, he started dragging the ball and he didn't know how to react after my second shot," said Warner.

Getting the better of pacer Doug Bollinger, who happens to be his former national teammate, was also the highlight of Warner's knock.

"We have two class openers, who treated the ball on its merit. But it does play in the back of our minds, coming good against and winning the battle against one of our own mates, in as much as the same way he might have thought as well," chuckled Warner.

Fielding, though, was one aspect Katich wants the Blues to improve upon.

"We didn't field as well as we had done against Mumbai Indians. We dropped a few catches and there were few misses on the field. But once we can raise it, we can well be an unbeatable team in the tournament," he said.

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Katich Chennai South Wales New Australia Warner