"Anything in the range of 120-130 would have been really challenging" - Paras Mhambrey after India's hard-fought win over New Zealand in second T20I
Team India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey lauded the bowlers for doing a commendable job in the second T20I against New Zealand in Lucknow on Sunday. Mhambrey felt a target of 20 runs more could have been beyond their reach.
India's bowling attack exploited the conditions perfectly as their four-spinner attack kept New Zealand to 99-8 in 20 overs. However, the Men in Blue struggled in a paltry chase, taking 19.5 overs to reach the target.
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bit.ly/INDvNZ-2023-2N….@surya_14kumar hits the winning runs as #TeamIndia secure a 6-wicket win in Lucknow & level the #INDvNZ T20I series 1️⃣-1️⃣
Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/INDvNZ-2023-2N…
#INDvNZ | @mastercardindia https://t.co/onXTBVc2Wu
Speaking at a press conference after the six-wicket win, Mhambrey said the wicket looked challenging from the outset.
"When we saw the wicket, we realized it was on the drier side. There was a little grass covering on the middle, but there was none on both ends. When we came yesterday, it looked like it would turn and we realized it would be challenging," he said.
The 50-year-old felt 100 was gettable on the track and that the curator would be the best person to answer questions about the pitch.
(On the pitch) "The curator is the right person to answer that question. But definitely we knew it would be a big challenge and luckily we controlled the game. Anything in the range of 120-130 would have been really challenging. We did well to restrict them to 99 and it was an achievable target," he added.
India left out Umran Malik for an extra spinner in Yuzvendra Chahal, who bagged figures of 2-1-4-1. The other three spinners in Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Deepak Hooda also took one wicket each and bowled economically.
"Need to make sure we have better pitches" - Indian captain
Following the hard-fought, Indian skipper Hardik Pandya revealed that they avoided panicking and believed in their ability to finish the game. However, he called for better pitches than these moving forward.
"I always believed we would finish the game. It went quite deep, but that is how it is. It is important to not panic. Rather than taking risks, we rotated the strike. Having said that, this is a shocker of a pitch. We need to make sure we have better pitches. Even 120 would have been a winning total here," he said in the post-match presentation.
wickets for @arshdeepsinghh 
Innings Break!
An outstanding bowling performance from #TeamIndia! 🙌 🙌
2⃣ wickets for @arshdeepsinghh
1⃣ wicket each for @yuzi_chahal, @imkuldeep18, @HoodaOnFire, @Sundarwashi5 & @hardikpandya7
Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/INDvNZ-2023-2N…
#INDvNZ | @mastercardindia https://t.co/z8A9sMIEok
The third and final T20I will take place in Ahmedabad on Sunday.