New Zealand suffered again another disappointment in the finals of the T20 World Cup 2021, failing Australia by an eight-wicket margin. The Kane Williamson-led team fought bravely, scoring 172/4 despite batting first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. But, David Warner’s and Mitchell Marsh’s half-centuries guaranteed that the Men in Yellow achieved the goal with 7 deliveries to play, The Kiwis, on the other hand, don’t really have much time to recover from their failure since they have a crucial tour to India. Scheduled to begin November 17, New Zealand will play 3 Twenty20 Internationals and 2 Test matches. Whereas the Blackcaps have recently dominated Team India, former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik considers facing the Men in Blue, despite losing the final encounter will put the New Zealand team into mental stress.
NZ will take this bilateral series as a step to the WC next year: Dinesh Karthik
“It will be a bit hard mentally. New Zealand had a great year, finals of both the World Test Championship and the T20 World Cup, one they won and one they lost. They will take this bilateral series as a step to the WC next year. They’ll do everything they can do to put up a good show in India,” said Karthik while previewing the T20I series between India and New Zealand.
Former Indian speedster Zaheer Khan, who was on the same jury, had a different take on the situation. He reasoned that given New Zealand had lost the T20 World Cup final, playing sport after such a small break would be the best way for them to bounce ahead.
“Had they won the tournament, being champions and being asked to play again in 3 days time, that would have been the worst thing possible because you want to enjoy what you have done. Since they lost the tournament, it’s not a bad thing that NZ have to play again in 3 days time, it will help them move on,” opined Zaheer.
However, India has performed admirably at home in recent years across all forms. As a result, they would be committed to continuing their winning streak. New Zealand, on the other hand, would expect them to exceed expectations after thrashing the Men in Blue by 8 wickets in the T20 World Cup league stage.
