Dale Steyn opines on India’s loss against New Zealand

In what can be called a one-sided match, New Zealand defeated India by eight wickets in their recent fixture in T20 World Cup 2021. As the Men in Blue also lost their opening fixture against Pakistan, their chances of advancing to the semi-finals have gone thinner. Nothing really went India’s way as the Kiwis dominated them in all three departments.

While Virat Kohli’s men were restricted to 110/7 while batting first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Blackcaps chased down the target in mere 14.3 overs. This was the first occasion of India losing two consecutive matches in the T20 World Cup. Fans and experts were left astonished by India’s dismal show as criticism came in from different quarters. Former South African pacer was also not amused by the way things panned out for the inaugural-edition champions.

I feel bad for India: Dale Steyn

“Virat Kohli will be gutted, losing a game they just had to win tonight whereas New Zealand will be jubilant. I feel bad for India,” Dale Steyn, who was Kohli’s teammate at Royal Challengers Bangalore, said on Star Sports’ post-match show. Meanwhile, the Indian skipper didn’t shy in admitting that his side was entirely outplayed by the Kiwis.

“To be very honest and brutal upfront, I don’t think we were brave enough with bat or ball. With the ball, I mean, obviously, we didn’t have much to play with, but we were just not brave enough with our body language when we entered the field,” Kohli told said during the post-match presentation.

New Zealand had better intensity, better body language, and they created pressure on us from the first over onwards, really, and continued that through the innings,” he added. Meanwhile, India don’t have matters in their own hands anymore as they’ll have to depend upon other match results alongside winning all their remaining games to qualify for the semi-finals.

India’s remaining group-stage fixtures are slated against Afghanistan, Namibia and Scotland. As India’s net run rate is also on the lower side, they must look to win all these fixtures with a significant margin. For the unversed, Pakistan, having won their first three games, are pretty certain to qualify for the knock-out stage. Hence, one other team from Group 2 can go through.