New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson praised India’s pressure tactics after the first T20I in Auckland.
India took a 1-0 lead in the five-game T20I series as Shreyas Iyer’s late brilliance with the bat saw the visitors chase down 204 for victory.
Iyer hit 58 not out from just 29 balls to take the man of the match accolade at Eden Park. KL Rahul’s half-century had helped set up the success.
The two teams will quickly meet again when the second clash gets underway at the same venue on Sunday.
Visitors India were made to work hard for the win in the opening match but are again short-priced favourites to follow that up.
They are available at 1.50 (1/2) with bet365 to make it back-to-back wins. New Zealand are priced at 2.63 (13/8) to hit back and level the series.
Williamson full of praise for “constant pressure” play
Black Caps captain Williamson thinks the pressure India were able to apply made a big difference.
“There are a lot of positives. It is hard to defend here and there was a bit of dew here. We knew we had to score over 200 with this being a used surface,” Williamson said at the post-match presentation ceremony in Auckland.
“Credit to India for the way they played. Taking pace off seemed to be working okay, but it was tough to execute because India put us under pressure constantly.
“But we do need to find ways to pick up some wickets. It was nice to build some partnerships. Guys came in and played their roles really well. It's important we improve in all areas in the next game.”
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli was pleased with the focus his players showed after such a quick turnaround from the home Australia series last weekend.
The India skipper says his team were determined not to use the travelling as an excuse in the game.
“We enjoyed this. Landing two days before and playing a game like this, it was fantastic.
“We never spoke of the jetlag in the team. We didn't want any excuse. We just focused on what we needed to do to win. We were looking forward to playing,” he said.
