Ahead of today's 4th T20I, New Zealand coach Gary Stead not reading too much into Bumrah's off-day in Hamilton, but credits Kiwi batsmen for tackling him well before Super Over loss
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah during the 3rd T20I against NZ in Hamilton on Wednesday. Pic /AFP
Wellington: It's a pleasant surprise when one sees two cricketers passing by almost unnoticed at the Auckland domestic airport just after being part of an epic T20 contest few hours earlier in Hamilton.
Scott Kuggeleijn hasn't played much for New Zealand but Ross Taylor is a great in this part of the world and yet no one, not even a single fan, tried to catch their attention.
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One suddenly realises this is not India where these two would have been mobbed even at the remotest of places. However, Kiwi coach Gary Stead was not so lucky to go unnoticed when we landed at Wellington airport, especially after the heartbreaking loss in the Super Over on Wednesday.
The Black Caps have now been on the wrong side of their last three Super Overs—the epic World Cup final against England and then in November to decide the T20 series against the same side. However, losing the T20 series to India at home even before the fourth game is painful. Stead believes this Indian team are outstanding. "There is no doubt that the Indian team are playing fantastic cricket this time. They have IPL competitions where these guys are stars and are used to [pressure situations] on a regular basis. But that takes nothing away from them; performing at crunch times. But from our point of view, we need to get better," says Stead.
NZ coach Gary Stead
Stead, 48, who played five Tests for New Zealand, took over from Mike Hesson in August 2018. Asked whether this is the best-ever Indian side to tour this part of the world, he smiled and attributed the IPL factor for India's dominance in this format. "I have only been involved for the last 18 months, but I have no doubt that they are a very, very good team. From top to the bottom…throughout the whole team…they are very strong and proven IPL match winners and they are going to be contenders of Game Four and future series," concedes the coach.
Regardless of the outcome, Stead is satisfied with the fightback for the first time in the series and says it's not doom and gloom. By attacking Jasprit Bumrah in an unthinkable manner, the Kiwis showed that they are still willing to gamble to try outsmarting Virat Kohli's team. "He is a very, very tough person to handle I know that for sure. We were lucky last night where we played him really well and that was on the back of Kane Williamson batting for a long time against him. Kane's innings was outstanding last night and we will struggle to see a much better T20 innings," says Stead.
Kane Williamson
The immediate challenge for the New Zealanders is to put the brakes on India's winning streak in the penultimate match of the T20 series in Wellington today.
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New Zealand v India, 4th T20I: Star Sports 1, SS 1 Hindi & HD, 12:30
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