New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori refused to give any excuses for his team's defeat and conceded that they needed to lift their game seriously if they were even to compete against this rampant Indian team in the coming Tests.
“We were outplayed in all three facets of the game,” said Vettori. “We put ourselves in a spot at 60 for six and while we recovered moderately, India showed us how to do it in every aspect in this Test. India are a quality side and they showed it. Even our fielding, something we pride ourselves on, was disappointing. We need to quickly improve on a lot of things.
“It is the longevity with ball and bat,” said Vettori when asked about the problem areas. “Obviously, we have to bat longer -- 80 overs in both innings is just not acceptable. We need to bat at least 120 overs. With the ball, we have to be consistent in putting it in the right areas. At times, we built pressure for six to ten balls, but then let it slip.”
Vettori admitted that his team had slipped badly in the world rankings. "We have struggled as a Test side, but there are elements to it. We haven't played as many Tests as we would have liked. In the last year or so, we have turned that around but there is still a lot of inexperience within the group. Test matches are the ultimate test for a player.”
{{/usCountry}}Vettori admitted that his team had slipped badly in the world rankings. "We have struggled as a Test side, but there are elements to it. We haven't played as many Tests as we would have liked. In the last year or so, we have turned that around but there is still a lot of inexperience within the group. Test matches are the ultimate test for a player.”
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