New Delhi [India]: Despite facing a whitewash in the three-match Test series and then a heart-wrenching defeat in the first ODI in Dharamsala, New Zealand pacer Trent Boult has admitted “it’s been a tough learning experience” for the visitors, while asserting that the mood in the camp is positive and his teammates are looking forward to the challenge.
Addressing a press conference on the eve of the second ODI of the five-match series at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Boult said, “Obviously it hadn’t gone as we have liked it to be. It’s been a tough learning experience in Test match series and a severe defeat in Dharamsala, the other night. The mood in the camp is positive and guys are looking forward to the challenge. It’s a five match series and there are four more matches up for grabs and an opportunity for us to right a few wrongs in our performances.”
While Boult didn’t point fingers at any particular batsmen, he said that a collective effort was needed from the team after an indifferent tour so far.
“As a unit, we are looking to get more runs. If we get more runs on the board, we can put more scoreboard pressure on a good Indian side. I am not going to single anyone out in terms of their performance, but they should contribute with the bat, bowl and in the field. Try and put in more energy, that’s what we are trying to do,” he said.
The Kane Williamson-led side didn’t perform well with the bat and put up just 190 runs in the opening match, a total which the Men in Blue chased down in just 33.1 overs.
“We are looking to get more runs, as basic as it sounds. If we could put more runs on (the) board we could offer more scoreboard pressure on a good Indian side,”
The left-arm pacer also asserted that it would be difficult to find a charismatic leader like Brendon McCullum while admitting that the current skipper is going “through pretty tough time” as a captain.
“Kane is a very classy player and has been ranked as a top batsman for a reason. In a way, he has had pretty tough time walking into the role of the captaincy. It has been a learning experience for the whole team to be honest. The way Brendon led the team both in terms of captaincy and the bat, I don’t think anyone could do it as well as he did it,” he said.
“He set his own tone. We all know what kind of explosive batsman he is. But we are stacked up with lot of quality players in the side and at the moment we need all of them to stand up and put in good performance,” he added.
It should be noted that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has won five out the six ODIs as captain at the Feroz Shah Kotla with one match getting abandoned because of bad pitch. (ANI)