New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips credited India for their successful chase of 226 in the first T20I but said his side needed to take more wickets in the middle overs and improve its fielding after suffering a four-wicket defeat on Thursday.
“We’ve got all our plans on the drawing board, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to execute them,” Phillips said at the post-match press conference. India chased down the target after a high-scoring contest, and Phillips acknowledged that while New Zealand had plans to counter India’s aggressive batting, execution remained the key.
Phillips, who top-scored for New Zealand with an unbeaten 82, also credited India’s batting approach and their ability to adapt to the conditions. “You’ve also got to give credit to the chasing side for chasing 226.
“We maybe take a couple more wickets in the middle or string a few more dot balls together and we put them under pressure and they don’t chase it, then it obviously looks slightly different as well,” he said. It’s always a good chase,” he said, adding that India had also adapted to playing on slightly bigger boundaries. “Catches happen and dropped catches happen, but we need to be counting them properly,” he said.
“The pitches are fantastic as well. The bounce is probably a little more than they’re used to, and they adjusted really well today,” he said.
