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Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has spoken up about New Zealand's performance in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup performance in the final against Australia. While most critics believed that the Kiwis rightly punched above their weights to reach the final, Gambhir was disappointed by the way New Zealand played in the summit clash.
He even went on to say that had he been a New Zealand supporter, he would have demanded a refund since the Kiwis were not quite up to the mark in the titular clash. He termed New Zealand his favoutire team after India in the competition.
Occasion got to New Zealand, they didn’t look the same team that beat India or England: Gambhir
"My favourite side after India (for the T20 World Cup) was New Zealand. Seeing them bullied around like an apprentice wasn’t a pleasant experience," wrote Gambhir in his column for TOI.
"They batted very well to score 172 for four. More often than not this kind of score isn’t that tough to defend, especially with a balanced attack like that of New Zealand. But clearly the occasion got to them as they didn’t look the same team that beat India or England in the semis," he added.
"New Zealand is one team that prides itself on meticulous planning, clear role definitions, precise execution and all this without any fanfare…If I was a New Zealand supporter, I would have demanded a refund seeing my team all over the place in second half. It wasn’t a performance worthy of a final," said Gambhir.
"It was hard to understand why they (New Zealand) bowled short and on a wrong line to Mitchell Marsh. He is a Western Australian, played most of his cricket at WACA, Perth. So playing a pull shot would have been the first thing he would have learnt," the former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper stated.
Australia clinch maiden T20 World Cup title
New Zealand scored a competitive 172 in the finale, thanks to Kane Williamson's masterful 85 from 48 deliveries. However, only Trent Boult managed to pick two wickets in their bowling innings and no other bowler seemed to threaten the Aussie batters.
The Aaron Finch-led side eventually reached their target with 8 wickets in hand and 7 balls remaining. David Warner scored 53 while Mitchell Marsh remained unbeaten on 77 to hand Australia their maiden T20 World Cup title.
