'For the first time, I saw apprehension, if not fear, on their faces: Laxman says India looked 'hesitant and uncertain'

Former batsman VVS Laxman feels India were woefully off-colour in their T20 World Cup match against New Zealand on Sunday and that as the mind can recollect, he has never seen the kind of timid approach which he witnessed in Dubai.

Former batsman VVS Laxman feels India were woefully off-colour in their T20 World Cup match against New Zealand on Sunday and that as the mind can recollect, he has never seen the kind of timid approach which he witnessed in Dubai. India suffered an eight-wicket loss to New Zealand – their second straight defeat of the World Cup – with Laxman claiming that the fighting spirit the Indian team is known so well for, was nowhere to be seen.

VVS Laxman felt India were woefully on the backfoot against New Zealand.  (Getty Images)

"To say that India's batting against New Zealand was disappointing will be an understatement. Several times in the past few months, India have bounced back from setbacks with courage and positivity. It might have been in a different format, but resilience and self-belief is what one has come to expect of the current Indian side. None of that was on view in Dubai on Sunday," Laxman wrote on his column for Times of India.

"For the first time in my recollection, I saw apprehension, if not fear, on the faces of the batsmen. They were hesitant and uncertain, and it reflected in faulty shot selection. Three wickets in the first eight overs didn't help their cause against a New Zealand attack that bowled tight lines and gave nothing away. India would have come prepared with their plans to counter the Kiwi discipline, but those never manifested themselves on the park," Laxman opined.

The Indian team over the last year, had made it a habit of staging wonderful comebacks – look no further than the Test series in Australia and England, but this time around, the spark has gone missing, due to which India are on the brink of exiting the T20 World Cup. If that happens, it will be the first time in eight years that the Men In Blue will fail to enter the knockouts of an ICC tournament.

"India had so many things going for them leading into the tournament. There was an experience, great skill and an understanding of what they would expect in the T20 World Cup, given that they had just finished playing in the IPL in the UAE. Armed with all that knowledge, you'd have expected India's batsmen to give a better account of themselves," added Laxman.

"110 for seven, no matter how superbly New Zealand bowled, is simply not acceptable. It will be interesting to know what target India had in mind when they went out to bat, and what was the communication from the openers to the dugout after the first couple of overs."