New Zealand are in no mood to complain or look for excuses. No matter what the experts comment on India gaining an unfair advantage from playing all their Champions Trophy games in Dubai, Mitchell Santner & Co. don’t seem to be too bothered with that.
“For us, there’s no focus on anything like that. Obviously, a tournament draw is what it is, and we have a no excuses mindset. You’re dealt the hand that you’re dealt, and the fact of the matter is India have been dealt that hand, and we’ve been dealt that hand. And we’re never going to complain about what we get.
“We’ll just do the best with what we’ve got,” off-spinner all-rounder Glenn Phillips said on Saturday, the eve of the clash against India in Dubai.
Although this is a different format, but the 3-0 Test series win in India late last year does help New Zealand draw confidence going into Sunday’s contest. Their current form, however, makes the Black Caps build on that confidence, Phillips asserted.
“White-ball cricket is, as you say, a different format and it does come down to a lot of who’s in form at the right time, especially in world events like these. Obviously, having a bit of success against India in the recent past definitely gives a little bit of confidence, but we come back to the things that we do well, sticking to our processes and making sure that each game is individualised for what it is. And I think that puts us in good stead going forward,” Phillips said.
“No doubt, India are strong, and we’re coming off some good form too. I think the recent form is potentially a little bit more of a confidence builder as opposed to what happened a couple of months ago. But we’ve trained hard, worked well and everyone’s as ready as they can be.”
