T20 World Cup 2021, India vs New Zealand (Super 12): Was India not brave enough? Virat Kohli reckons

India succumbed to yet another defeat in Super 12 of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup to New Zealand on Sunday. With India now staring at an early exit, Virat Kohli has blamed his side for not being brave enough.

It was yet another tough outing for Team India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, as it suffered a harsh eight-wicket defeat to New Zealand in its Group 2 Super 12 clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. With this loss, India's chances of qualifying for the semis have taken a significant blow, while its low net run rate would do it no good either.

Following the defeat, skipper Virat Kohli blamed his side for not being brave or brutal throughout the game. He blamed the batters for being in two minds, whether or not to take the risk, leading to them playing immature shots and giving away their wickets in the process. Also, he put forward the fact that India failed to sustain the pressure against the big sides it has played in the tournament so far.

"Quite bizarre. To be very honest and brutal upfront, I don't think we were brave enough with bat or ball. With the ball, I mean, obviously, we didn't have much to play with, but we were just not brave enough with our body language when we entered the field, and New Zealand had better intensity, better body language, and they created pressure on us from the first over onwards, really, and continued that through the innings," he said during the post-match presentation.

"When you play for the Indian cricket team, you obviously have a lot of expectations. Everyone knows that - not only from the fans but from the players themselves. Wherever we play, we are watched, people come to the stadiums to support us, so there's always going to be more with our games, that's always been the case, and we've embraced it over the years, and everyone who plays for the Indian team obviously has to embrace that as well, and learn how to cope with it," he added.

Kohli concluded by speaking on plans for India's remaining games against Afghanistan, Namibia and Scotland, as he noted, "There's only one way to play T20 cricket - you have to be optimistic, you have to be positive, take calculated risks, and that's what this format is all about. Just because you're the Indian cricket team and there's expectations, doesn't mean that you start playing the format differently."