India thrashed New Zealand by 168 runs in the third and final T20I match of the three-match series at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 1. They also won the hard-fought series by 2-1. It was their biggest-ever win in terms of runs for the Men in Blue. India’s second-highest margin of victory was a 143-run win over Ireland in Dublin in 2018.
The Blackcaps earlier suffered a 0-3 clean sweep defeat in the ODI series against the Men in Blue. Interestingly, they came to India with a winning momentum as they defeated Pakistan in the ODI series by 2-1. Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt was asked by a reporter about how the Men in Green were not clear on their thoughts and stated India was a better opponent than Pakistan.
The reporter asked Butt, “Pakistan se ye New Zealand ki team kaabu nahi aa rahi thi, but India me jaakar inko nakaami ka saamna karna pada. Kya New Zealand ko Pakistan se beheter opposition mili? (Pakistan couldn’t beat New Zealand at home, but the Kiwis lost to India. Did they find a better opposition there?)”
In reply, the former Pakistan skipper stated that India were “assured and clear” in their thinking and said, “New Zealand got an opposition that is assured and clear in its thinking. Their pool of players is big and they have exposure in international cricket, whether it be the ‘A’ team or first-class cricket. In every game, they have got more exposure,” Butt said on his official YouTube channel.
There was no clarity of thought: Salman Butt
Butt said that Pakistan skipper Babar Azam doesn’t have clarity when taking crucial decisions. Pakistan played with many doubts and confusion that’s why they were defeated in the home season against England and New Zealand, but India stuck to their decisions till the end and didn’t fear while taking the decisions.
“The way Pakistan played their home season, there was no clarity of thought. You could see the fear in their decisions. When you play with the fear of failure, you will never get the desired results and Pakistan’s home season was proof of that. There was fear, and all the decisions were made solely in fear,” said Butt.
“Here, they were clear about who will play, and at what number they will play. It was just another level of clarity in India. England play so aggressively, there was no confusion there.”
