NZ vs IND 2020: "This is what we play for", Shardul Thakur reflects on his final over
India had seven runs in the bank when Shardul Thakur ran in with the ball to bowl the final over the match. He ended up dismissing Ross Taylor with the very first ball and this set the tone for the rest of the over. He eventually ended the match with figures of 4/33. Four wickets fell in the final over and once again, New Zealand could not manage to cross the line.
“After the last game, we learned that we should never lose hope. If I bowl a dot ball or a wicket ball, the pressure is on them,” he said after the match.
He also starred with the bat as he made a valuable contribution, scoring 20 runs off 15 balls and sharing a 43-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Manish Pandey which pushed India's total to a competitive one.
"You couldn't ask for anything more. This is what we play for, these nail-biting finishes. It was important to stretch the partnership in the middle, and should have carried on until the 19th and 20th over, so hopefully next time things turn out better for me," he further added.
He was also adjudged man of the match for this performance and captain Virat Kohli spoke about this side and said that they never give up and believe in hanging in the contest till the very end.
"There's something new that I've learnt, that you've just got to stay calm in the game, observe what's happening and if the opportunity comes then you capitalize on it. The fans couldn't have asked for a better finish in two consecutive games.
We hadn't played super-over before, and now we have played two back to back. It feels good when you're out of the game and get yourself back in, it really shows the character of the team," Kohli said after the match.