T20 World Cup 2021: "I think a big part of our game is using spinners in the middle" - Ish Sodhi
New Zealand rode on Ish Sodhi's brilliance with the ball before a batting masterclass from Kane Williamson to beat India by eight wickets in Dubai.
Opting to bowl first, Trent Boult and Tim Southee gave the Kiwis their initial breakthroughs before Ish Sodhi joined the party. Sodhi and Mitchell Santner kept the star-studded Indian batters in check in the mid-overs from where India never recovered.
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, player of the match Ish Sodhi admitted that he was well-prepared for the high-voltage clash against India. The 29-year-old said:
"I am usually quite big on pre-match prep. This is the first time we have set foot in Dubai. The wicket was one that we had to adapt quickly and was very different to Sharjah. I think a big part of our game is using spinners in the middle. Southee getting that wicket late in the Power Play really helped us."
The complete list of all T20 World Cup 2021 teams is available here.
Ish Sodhi dismissed two big guns, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, to return with figures of 2/17 as India managed only 110 runs. Sodhi continued his brilliant run against the men in blues. When quizzed about his performance against India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016, Sodhi admitted it was hard to forget the game.
"Obviously, I remember it. Hard to forget that one," Ish Sodhi added.
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Which two sides will qualify from Group 2? 🤔
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New Zealand chased down within 14.3 overs with Daryl Mitchell (49) and Kane Williamson (33*) doing the bulk of the scoring.
"We wanted to do our best" - Ish Sodhi
It was a must-win game for New Zealand coming from the back of a huge defeat against table-toppers Pakistan. Ish Sodhi asserted that they wanted to win badly coming into this game.
"Coming into this game, we wanted to do our best," Ish Sodhi concluded.
New Zealand next play against minnows Scotland on Wednesday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.