This is the first time India have lost their first two matches in a T20 World Cup and the skipper Virat Kohli was in no mood to defend his underperforming team. Kohli pointed out that their batters "weren’t brave enough" and were “hesitant” going for the big shots which resulted in their second-lowest total in T20 World Cup over the years.
“I thought we were brutal up front. We weren't brave enough when we entered the field, but NZ sustained that pressure. Every time we took a chance, we lost a wicket. It's most often a result of hesitation of whether you should go for a shot or not,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation.
Despite making a couple of changes in the side and a reshuffle in the batting order, India failed to put up a fight and succumbed to the big-game pressure losing the match by eight wickets with 33 balls left in the match.
“When you play for India, there are loads of expectations. We are watched, people come to the stadium and everyone who plays for India needs to embrace that and cope with it. We haven't done that in these two games, and that's why we haven't won,” Kohli talked about the pressure factor in the big tournament.
It is a tough road ahead for India with a lot of permutations and combinations involved to even have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. However, the 32-year-old wants to take an optimistic approach for the remaining three games in the group stage.
“We have to be optimistic and positive and take calculated risks. We have to disconnect from the pressure and continue with our process, and play a positive brand of cricket. There's a lot of cricket to play in the tournament,” Kohli concluded.
