Auckland [New Zealand], October 28 (ANI): New Zealand batter Finn Allen admitted that India’s explosive batting, particularly from Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, made it difficult for his side to defend their total in the third T20I.
Abhishek and Sooryavanshi gave India a sensational start in the chase of 199, taking the team to 118 without loss in the Powerplay. Abhishek brought up his half-century off just 15 balls before reaching his hundred in 35 deliveries.
Matthew Fisher dismissed Sooryavanshi for 45, while Kyle Jamieson removed Abhishek for 113. India eventually reached the target in 13.2 overs, with 40 balls to spare.
While acknowledging that New Zealand had posted what they considered a competitive score, Allen said the defeat was frustrating for the entire team and stressed the importance of learning from the loss and moving on to the next match.
“With a game like that, you take a quick overview, learn what you can from it and move on. I think we put up what we felt was a competitive total with the bat, but conditions tend to get a little easier as the game progresses. When someone like Abhishek Sharma gets going, he is pretty hard to stop. It was just one of those things, and we have to move on to the next game," Allen told the reporters in Auckland on Wednesday.
“As a group, it is always frustrating when things do not go your way. I would not single out the batters or the bowlers as being more frustrated than the others. When players like Abhishek and Vaibhav get going, they are difficult for any opposition to contain. They showed exactly why they are such good players," he added.
With this win, India took the five-match T20 series, winning the opening three matches. Finn Allen said New Zealand felt they could have won each of the first two closely contested matches, despite the series results not going their way.
He described representing his country and playing in front of home crowds as a rewarding experience, adding that the team would take valuable lessons from the series as they continue building towards the T20 World Cup in a couple of years.
“I think the first two games, in particular, were pretty tight, and we felt we could have won both of them. Regardless of the result, representing your country is always a great experience, and it means a lot to all of us. Coming back to New Zealand and playing here for the first time in a while has been fantastic, especially with the crowds and the atmosphere," he said.
“Losing is never ideal, and it is certainly not what we want, but we are building towards the bigger picture of the World Cup here in a couple of years. There are plenty of lessons to take from this series, and I have really enjoyed the experience despite the results," he concluded. (ANI)
When someone like Abhishek Sharma gets going, he is pretty hard to stop: Finn Allen
