New Zealand batter Finn Allen believes the batting blitz, led by Abhishek Sharma and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the third T20I, offers them valuable lessons for a potential meeting with India in the format’s World Cup in couple of years’ time. India chased down a daunting 199-run target in just 13.2 overs in Wellington, with Abhishek smashing a 38-ball 113 and sharing a 133-run opening stand with Sooryavanshi to hand the visitors a crushing six-wicket win and an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
“Yeah, I think for both parties it’s probably a bit more exciting for the batters and bowlers. So as a batting unit, we’re pretty looking forward to getting out here.
“I think, you know, with the bat we probably gave ourselves a competitive score, what we thought was a competitive score, and then naturally conditions in these times probably get a little bit easier,” he said. With the fourth T20I scheduled at Eden Park, where the shorter boundaries could make for another high-scoring contest, Allen said both batting units would look forward to the challenge. We always enjoy playing out here and a sold-out crowd as well is really exciting,” he said. Despite the series defeat, Allen said New Zealand would treat each of the remaining matches with equal importance and use the experience to prepare for the T20 World Cup to be held in the country in a couple of years. “No, I think every game is just as important as the other, regardless of where the series sits,” he said.
The New Zealand batter said the team had put up what it considered a competitive total but acknowledged that conditions could become easier for batting as a match progresses.
Allen said it was difficult to stop the Indian duo once they got going, adding that New Zealand would review the defeat and devise fresh plans for the next match.
