Tim Southee, New Zealand Bowler
Tim Southee (Image Credit: Twitter)

New Zealand‘s stand-in skipper Tim Southee spoke about the packed schedule, and cited it as one of the reasons for the Kiwis conceding the 3-T20I series to India, with a game to spare.

Last Sunday, New Zealand played, and lost, the T20 World Cup final to Australia in Dubai. Two days later they were up against India in Jaipur and then in Ranchi. India won both the games while chasing and claimed the series.

In Ranchi, the 117-run opening stand between KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma made the chase of 154 comfortable. Tim Southee reckoned his players hadn’t had the time to practice bowling with the wet balls to prepare them for bowling under dew.

India vs New Zealand 2021
India vs New Zealand 2021 (Credits: BCCI)

“There was heavy dew throughout the whole night; there was dew already in the warm-ups. It played a factor for both sides; it did get a little bit worse as the game went on, but we knew it was going to be the case,” Tim Southee was quoted as saying by the New Zealand Herald.

“I just don’t think we adapted to the surface as well as we could have. It’s tough; you can obviously train with a wet ball. We haven’t had a lot of training with the nature of this series being so close together, it’s just: play, travel day, play, travel day, play again. So there’s not a lot of training, so I think the guys just have to find a way.”

Hopefully, we can finish the tour on a high: Tim Southee

The third T20I is scheduled for Sunday in Kolkata. The white-ball specialists will return back home after that and Tim Southee hopes that the players can put a good performance in the concluding match.

New Zealand Team
New Zealand Team (Credits: Twitter)

“The guys have got one last push; there’s a number of guys going home after this next game; so hopefully, we can finish the tour on a high. It’s another opportunity to represent your country; so I don’t think you need any extra motivation to get yourself up,” the veteran seamer added.

The T20I series will be followed by a 2-Test series, to be played in Kanpur and Mumbai.

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