Rob Walter, New Zealand's head coach, expressed disappointment following his team's consecutive defeats in the opening two T20Is against India at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Both matches ended with India securing four-wicket victories, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The margins were tight, and Walter acknowledged that New Zealand had come close to victory in both encounters but failed to capitalise on crucial moments.
Speaking ahead of the third T20I in Wellington on October 27, Walter reflected on the closely contested nature of the defeats. He noted that New Zealand had opportunities in each match that could have swung the result in their favour, but the team struggled to finish strongly despite playing well for much of both games.
Walter acknowledged that New Zealand had squandered key moments in both encounters that could have altered the course of the matches. The head coach recognised that the margins in T20 cricket are often razor-thin, and both games presented realistic opportunities for his team to emerge victorious.
"Probably missed out on a couple of opportunities each time where you probably would have sealed the game off for us. It's a bit of a disappointment, but also very happy with how we've played," Walter said after arriving in Wellington, as per Cricinfo.
In the opening T20I on October 22, New Zealand posted 225 for four wickets from their 20 overs. India's response was built on aggressive batting, with Sanju Samson scoring 67 off 33 balls. The visitors successfully chased down the target, reaching 230 for six wickets in 19.4 overs.
The second T20I on October 24 saw New Zealand post 180 for five wickets. Glenn Phillips contributed 70 runs to the total. India's chase was anchored by Tilak Varma, whose unbeaten 51 off 26 balls proved decisive as India reached 181 for six wickets in 19.5 overs, securing another four-wicket victory.
Walter emphasised the fine margins that define T20 cricket and how both matches could have produced different outcomes.
"In T20 cricket, it's the finest of margins as we know. Both games, we could easily have been on the winning side of it, but weren't," Walter said.
How did New Zealand perform in the opening two T20Is?
Despite the disappointment, Walter highlighted the positive aspects of New Zealand's performance across both encounters. He noted that the team had not played much competitive cricket before this series, yet had performed reasonably well for most of both matches. However, the inability to execute in crucial phases had cost them dearly.
"We haven't played much competitive cricket coming into this series. Actually, I felt we've played pretty well, probably 80% each game. We just haven't been able to put the finishing touches to it each time, which is disappointing. But still so much good stuff to come out of both games so far," Walter added.
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The third T20I took place in Wellington on Tuesday, with India aiming to extend their lead further and New Zealand seeking their first victory of the series to keep their hopes alive.
