Admitting that India were a far better side than the Kiwis, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori today said his team's credibility was at stake in fifth and final one-dayer.
Admitting that India were a far better side than the Kiwis, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori today said his team's credibility was at stake in fifth and final one-dayer.
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Although India started the New Zealand tour a bad note, losing both the Twenty20 games, the visitors have come back hard on the Kiwis and have already wrapped up the five-match ODI series 3-0, with the second game being washed out at Wellington.
"This one is a momentum game for us. We don't want to go down 4-0. We want to win a game and we want to give our one-day team the credibility it deserves because we have played well for a while now. But in this series we haven't shown that," Vettori told reporters on the eve of the final ODI.
"We have always backed ourselves, and rightly so, because we have played some good cricket. We have come up against a team that is a lot better than us in most disciplines. We have got to show our public and our fans that we are a better side than that turned out in the last three games," he added.
Vettori said the Black Caps misery had been accentuated by a combination of factors, starting from poor bowling to some majestic batting display by the Indians.
"Their top order has played exceptionally well. At times we have bowled all right, at times we have bowled poorly, Therefore it has increased our problems against such good players. We have been telling the bowlers to hit certain areas where the batsmen find it tough and put pressure but we have not been consistent," Vettori said.
"A batsman like Sehwag, small boundaries, very good wickets...all this goes into making a tough competition. But we don't expect easy rides in international cricket, We need guys to continually step up. If you succeed against these guys (Indians), it is going to be a good feeling," he said.
Talking about the inconsistency of his bowlers, the Kiwi skipper said, "More than the small ground it is about where we bowl the ball. If we get it into the right areas, we can trouble him (Sehwag). If we bowl away from them (right areas), we get ourselves into trouble. I can mix and match the field, but it doesn't necessarily help.
"We saw that in T20s. It didn't take us long to get the breakthrough. Even in the Christchurch one-dayer, when Kyle (Mills) got a few balls in the right spot, he got the breakthrough."
The 30-year-old left-arm spinner, however, hoped that he and Mills could combine together to make the difference tomorrow. "It is important for Kyle (Mills) because he takes the first over and it is something he has done for a couple of years now and done really well. That is why he is up there with the best bowlers of the world.
"I and Mills are two senior bowlers. Our role is important. We have to lead with what we do. At times we have done it, and at times we have slipped a little bit. Hopefully, we will get it right tomorrow," he said.
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