India vs New Zealand: Didn’t deserve to be on the winning side at all this series: Kohli
Henry Nicholls and Colin de Grandhomme were impressive with the bat as the Kiwis won the encounter by five wickets to continue their brilliant run of form.
Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli made it clear that India did not deserve to win as they were beaten 3-0 in the recently concluded ODI series by New Zealand on Tuesday.
Henry Nicholls and Colin de Grandhomme were impressive with the bat as the Kiwis won the encounter by five wickets to continue their brilliant run of form.
As a result, New Zealand finished a 3-0 whitewash in the series - something India have not faced since 1989. The last time India lost all the matches in an ODI series (min 3 matches) was back in '89 against West Indies.
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"The games were not as bad as the scoreline suggests. Batsmen coming back from tough situations was a positive sign for us, but the way we fielded and bowled, the composure wasn't enough to win games. Didn't deserve to be on the winning side at all this series. Haven't played so badly, but we didn't grab opportunities," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
India will now face New Zealand in a two-match Test series with the first encounter taking place in Wellington on February 24. Kohli said that they are excited for the seires and said that they now have a balanced side.
"It was a good experience for the new guys who came in. They are still finding their feet. They (New Zealand) played with lot more intensity than we did. They deservedly won 3-0."
"We are excited for the Test series. We now have a balanced team. We feel we can win the series, but we need to step out on the park with the right kind of mindset," he concluded.
KL Rahul struck a combative 112 to take India to a combative total of 296/7 but the Kiwis overhauled the target with 17 balls to spare. The Kiwis were off to a confident start in their chase with Martin Guptill (66) and Henry Nicholls (80) and putting on a 106-run stand.
However, wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took three wickets to bring India back in the game. Colin de Grandhomme (58) and Tom Latham (32), though, took their side past the finish line with an unbeaten 80-run partnership.
