JOIN US'We've to perform as a team'
“We have got the personnel right but you have to stand up and perform as a combination and that’s what we have really been missing,” said Vettori here on Friday after his team’s practice at the Chinnaswamy stadium. “People dig so deep about why you are not playing well or why I am not playing well but it’s simply about a couple of individuals standing up and winning the game on the day.
“We need a couple of top-order batsmen to have good performances in the next two matches and start a lot better with the ball and put more pressure on (Gautam) Gambhir and (Murali) Vijay,” he observed.
Further elaborating on the Kiwis’ poor run in ODIs, Vettori felt his team hasn’t been able to get its act together. “It is relatively simple and unfortunate,” he remarked, reflecting on the reasons for the losses. “I think we’ve failed to post enough runs on the board by trying different things. We made some mistakes with our dismissals and also did not put pressure on the Indian batsmen. They have been playing exceptionally well, particularly Gambhir.”
The all-rounder admitted that nine defeats on the trot was going to play on their minds. “But for me personally, I play the game to try and better myself. Focusing on those losses is not going to help anyone, but it is still there and I suppose people will have to deal with it. What we have to do tomorrow is to be clear in our minds and perform the roles that we are actually picked to do and win games for New Zealand,” he opined, adding that he wasn’t sure if Brendon McCullum would be fit enough to keep wickets.
New Zealand’s woes haven’t stopped despite the team having been provided with enough coaching expertise, the latest being former Ashes-winning England coach Duncan Fletcher, here as a batting consultant. “He has come to talk batting, but he is also a head coach, so he has a lot of ideas on bowling, fielding and just general team dynamics. It has been good because it’s a fresh voice and when you are in a rut like we are, it is nice to hear to an outside perspective. He has been a good addition,” Vettori pointed out.