Is New Zealand India's Bogey Team? Virat Kohli Responds
Published - 02 Mar 2020, 12:38 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 06:49 AM
India’s tour of New Zealand ended in a dismal manner as the hosts thrashed the Virat Kohli-led side by seven wickets in the second Test to sweep the two-match series. Before the Test series, New Zealand had also swept the three-match ODI series.
While India’s bowlers did turn the game on its head by dismissing New Zealand for 235 in the first innings, the match eventually turned out to be a lopsided contest. The batsmen failed to deliver again as India were all out for just 124, setting New Zealand a target of 132.
In reply, the hosts rode on fifties from their openers Tom Latham and Tom Blundell to chase down the total with ease. The recent defeats have further highlighted India’s struggles against New Zealand in recent times. They had lost a T20I series against the Black Caps last year before losing the World Cup semifinal.
Congratulations to New Zealand on winning the Test series. #NZvIND
Details? https://t.co/VTLQt4iEFz pic.twitter.com/gNq2DGHxWm
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 2, 2020
On the just-concluded tour, they could not win a single ODI or Test. But despite all these, India skipper Virat Kohli said that he does not consider the Kiwis as a ‘bogey team’.
“Disappointed as to how we played in the Test series. We were completely outplayed in this series, we did not play the brand of cricket we usually do. We need to address the issues straight up and not be in denial. We have a lot of cricket away from home this year, we would want to correct our mistakes. We were not brave in moments,” Virat Kohli told reporters after the second Test.
“I am sure no one was saying that in the first part of the tour. We got by the better team in the World Cup semi-final and now in the Test series. There is no shame in accepting defeat, they have just played much better cricket. We do not want to term the Kiwis as a ‘bogey’ team. Recognising what went wrong is important, one should not be in denial,” he added.
