Captain Virat Kohli has suggested India overthought the conditions at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, where New Zealand completed a seven-wicket victory in the second Test on Monday.
India were limited to 242 all out, to which New Zealand replied with 232. The tourists' second innings then totalled 124 all out, after which the Black Caps reached a triumphant 132 for three on day three.
“We have performed in difficult conditions in the past as well, and we understand that we were in a good frame of mind when we were playing in those conditions at that period. I think it's about trying to get into that space more often than not. And for that you need to think positively on every day of the Test match, every situation, every session that you are a part of,” said Kohli, who will play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League later this year. Bangalore are priced at 8.00 by bet365 to win the 2020 IPL.
“It's something we failed to do as a batting unit, and I truly believe that we made too much of the conditions from the first day onwards, of the first Test: overcast, a bit of dampness on the pitch. We never used to speak of these things before. So yeah, it can creep in every now and then, it's about not letting it grow, not letting it become a norm, something that we as a side have not done at all.
“We don't go into conditions and think that we might not be able to execute what we want to. We've always gone in with a very positive outlook, and your skill follows how you think.”
Kohli talks about pressure
Opener Prithvi Shaw and middle-order batsmen Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari struck half-centuries in India‘s first innings. Not one batsman reached the milestone in the second, though, leaving Kohli to suggest India were too negative in mentality and shot selection.
“If you are taking pressure, then all kinds of things can feel wrong whether it is personal skill or playing as a team, but when you are just optimistic about what you want to do. Say you walk out to score runs rather than thinking of survival or thinking of conditions too much, then you will bat accordingly. Similarly as a team if you are worried about what might happen in a session, whether it will go our way or not, then invariably it does not,” he added.
New Zealand won the two-Test series. The tour also featured a five-T20I and three-ODI series. The Indians won the former and New Zealand the latter.
