NZ beat IND: Ish Sodhi was stunned with India's change in combination

IND vs NZ LIVE, T20 World Cup: Ish Sodhi shines on birthday – New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi, who picked Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s wickets, said he was surprised to see India change their opening combination. India opted for Rohit at No 3 while Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul opened. It didn’t go down well as India lost by 8 wickets.

“I think the change to the team was something that we found out quite late. Ishan Kishan has obviously been in great form. So we had to think on our feet, which I think the powerplay bowlers did exceptionally well in doing. I think when you’re faced with circumstances like that, to be able to respond quickly is a great test of character. And I thought the bowlers did that really well in the powerplay today,” Ish Sodhi said at the post-match press conference.

NZ beat IND, T20 World Cup: Birthday boy Ish Sodhi happy with Rohit, Kohli’s wickets but was ‘surprised with India’s change in opening combination’

Also Read: NZ beat IND: Fatigued Jasprit Bumrah raises valid point after New Zealand thrashing, ‘We need a break’

New Zealand starred with the ball as India was restricted to 110/7 in the Group 2 match of Super 12 stage of the ongoing ICC men’s T20 World Cup on Sunday. But he admitted batting first was difficult with the pitch playing slower than expected.

“The pitch was certainly slower than we saw (the ENG-AUS game). Bit of grass cover but it played slower than expected. Main tactic was bowling first. Teams have had success here bowling first, so the toss was based on that opinion,” said Ish Sodhi.

NZ beat IND, T20 World Cup: Birthday boy Ish Sodhi happy with Rohit, Kohli’s wickets but was ‘surprised with India’s change in opening combination’

Also Read: NZ beat IND Highlights: Trent Boult, Daryl Mitchell star as New Zealand thrash hapless Virat Kohli & Co by 8 wickets

Man of the match – ISH SODHI 🏆#T20WorldCup21 #INDvNZ #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/M85IAae7iV

— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) October 31, 2021

“Didn’t turn hell of a lot but it does when you bowl a touch slow. Tough to catch under the lights here, unfortunate with those two drops. If you had asked before the start of the game, if you had told us we could restrict them to under 120, we will certainly take it,” he added.

Ish Sodhi, who celebrated his birthday in style, said it was all about adapting to the conditions and New Zealand did that well. The spinner said New Zealand didn’t get many chances to check the wicket and understand conditions due to the restrictions.

NZ beat IND, T20 World Cup: Birthday boy Ish Sodhi happy with Rohit, Kohli’s wickets but was ‘surprised with India’s change in opening combination’

Also Read: IND vs NZ LIVE: Stubborn captain’s insane experiments cost India dearly, too many changes in batting order leads the FLOP SHOW

“I think adapting to conditions is a big thing we speak about a lot. And I think the thing that we had to judge was the last couple of games that have been played in the Dubai stadium. We didn’t get many chances to check the ground due to bio-bubble restrictions,” Ish Sodhi said.

“So a lot of our understanding of the conditions has been from watching other games. Last night I think it was a game of two halves. It looked reasonably tough to score in the first innings. We were a little unsure what the wicket would play like. I guess bowling first gives you a chance to understand that a little bit better than bowling second,” he added.

NZ beat IND, T20 World Cup: Birthday boy Ish Sodhi happy with Rohit, Kohli’s wickets but was ‘surprised with India’s change in opening combination’

In response to India’s 110, New Zealand chased the target in 14.3 overs with eight wickets in hand. Daryl Mitchell opening for only the second time scored a brisk 49 while skipper Kane Williamson completed the chase with 33. New Zealand will face Scotland next on November 3.

Cricket