India v New Zealand, 3rd T20I - Who Said What

The T20I series between India and New Zealand came down to a fitting end. The first two matches were all about the brute force that both sides came up with. In the first game at Delhi, it was team India that won the match in a dominating manner. In the next game at Rajkot, the favors were returned as the Kiwis came up with a clinical show in all departments of the game.

Action moved to Trivandrum, the 50th international venue in the country, for the fitting finale. The rain gods seemed to play the anti-climax, as had been the case in the series decider against the Australian side recently. However, the game eventually got underway with 8 overs allocated to each side. The hosts managed to put on 67 runs in their stipulated 8 overs.

The score did not look all the way very promising. But considering the dampness of the track, the Indians knew they had a chance. Some brilliant bowling from the Indian team saw the hosts eke out a 6 win and register a 2-1 series win. Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Yuzvendra Chahal were too good for the visitors on the day. All in all, it was a great finish to a lovely contest between two equally matched sides.

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya was assigned the task of bowling the final over of the game. He had 19 runs to defend, which he managed to do. He revealed that it was in the penultimate over of the game when he got to know that he would be bowling the final over. Pandya mentioned that he tried to stick to the basics and knew hitting the fast bowlers will not be easy on the track.

Hardik Pandya said: (On his finger) Right now, it’s okay. After the game, I might feel the pain. (On bowling the last over) I got to know in the 7th over that I will be bowling the last over as it was tougher to hit the fast bowlers than the spinners. I had to keep my calm and wanted to stick to my plan. It is important to have a cool mind and to think positive. Crucial to back yourself. I knew one or two might go but we had the runs.

Yuzvendra Chahal

While Pandya bowled the final over, the bowler who bowled the most economical spell on the day was Yuzvendra Chahal. The young leggie gave away only 8 runs in his two overs. He mentioned that the wicket was turning and suited the bowlers. He recalled that this was not the first time he was bowling in a tense situation.

Yuzvendra Chahal said: The wicket was suiting the bowlers, it was slow and it was spinning. I wanted to bowl wider and on a back of a length. I have bowled in such situations so many matches, especially in IPL, so I knew how to bowl in such conditions. I just bowled a good line and length, the captain was backing me well.

Team India Coach – Ravi Shastri

The head coach of the Indian team, Ravi Shastri, was ecstatic after the win. He admitted that he was very tense when the game was in progress. He remarked that the target that the team had in mind was of 65. They knew it would not have been enough but had the faith in their bowlers. He had special words of praise for Jasprit Bumrah.

Ravi Shastri said: You’ll be lying if you say you aren’t tense. Such games can change in the matter of 2-3 balls. Boys saved the best for last in terms of fielding. There was electricity on the field. We thought we could defend it. After we lost a couple of wickets, our aim was to get 65. By no means it’s a match-winning score, but if you field well and start well, the pressure is on the opposition. Outstanding temperament from Bumrah. He’s shown he’s got all the tools of the trade. But importantly, what he’s shown that he’s a thinking bowler.

New Zealand Captain – Kane Williamson

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was humble and graceful in defeat as ever. He credited the ground staff for having done exceptional work in getting the ground ready despite such heavy rains. He expressed his disappointment at losing the match and the series but had a lot of positives to take away. Williamson pointed out team India as one of the best teams in the world.

Kane Williamson said: It’s quite hard to know a good first innings score. Credit to the ground staff and what an amazing staff. Glad to get some cricket. Tricky surface and runs on board on that surface was handy. It came down to the couple of deliveries. Shame to not get across the line in this decider. As soon as you ran your fingers on the ball, it made life difficult. ]In this part of the world, wickets can be flat. We showed good fight. You have to be on top of their game to win here, they are one of the best teams in the world. I think there have been number of strides forward for us. Fairly new group and it’s not easy, guys coming here for the first or second time. It’s a tough place to play.

India Captain – Virat Kohli

Team India skipper, Virat Kohli, also had his words of praise for the ground staff and the lovely crowd at the venue who waited patiently for the game to begin. He admitted that there were a few nervous energies on the field with the damp pitch at the disposal. He revealed that it was the idea of Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni to let Bumrah bowl the penultimate over.

Virat Kohli said: I think we were really happy to get a game. This crowd deserved to watch same action. Ever since the ODIs started, we expected them to give a good fight. We were nervous to start here, with the damp pitch. We thought if we can take the runrate up, it’s not going to be so easy. Rohit and MS came up with Bumrah bowling the second last, and Hardik bowled the last over well. When Hardik got hurt, I was.. God forbid if I had to bowl the last four balls (chuckles). We have won a few on the trot and it makes us very proud. This stadium is beautiful, the outfield wonderful and the crowd made it special.

Player of the Match | Player of the Series – Jasprit Bumrah

Pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah has emerged as one of the best death bowling specialists in world cricket at the moment. Bumrah proved to be the match winner for India. He bagged figures of 2/9 in his spell of two overs and had accounted for the big wicket of Colin Munro.

He was awarded the Player of the Match and the Player of the Series for his efforts in the series. Bumrah quoted that the Indian bowlers had a fair idea of where and how to bowl. They had seen the opposition bowlers find success with the slower deliveries and hence knew their plans going in to the second innings.

Jasprit Bumrah said: It was a good day. Slower delivery was gripping, so we wanted to stick to a basic plan. I and Bhuvi had a chat before the innings. After watching the first innings, we saw them bowling slower deliveries, but our balls weren’t gripping, so we had to bowl it back of a length and mix them with yorkers. I wasn’t thinking too much, just focusing on every ball and on executing them.