India and New Zealand: World-class outfits but poles apart

10th November, 2021, another titanic rendition of the England-New Zealand rivalry is underway at Abu Dhabi. For all intents and purposes, the Kiwis, who got into the semi-finals at India’s expense, seem to have botched their run-chase.

They’ve lost Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill in the Power Play. The required run rate has zinged up to more than 10 runs per over. Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway are struggling to time the ball. And England, in their inimitable manner, have turned the screw.

In the background, the demons of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup final are also lurking. They aren’t yet in a position to influence the outcome but they keep reminding New Zealand how things can turn pear-shaped, especially on the world stage and against England.

Till the 17th over, there are no murmurs about a New Zealand victory. The chatter is about how the Kiwis have punched above their weight at the T20 World Cup and how they’ve finally met their match in the Three Lions. In other words, the Black Caps’ journey to the semi-finals is being garlanded because, well, it has been deemed the ceiling by many.

Then, all of a sudden, New Zealand flick a switch – a switch plenty believed they couldn’t turn on and one that plenty believed didn’t exist altogether. Deep inside, though, New Zealand believed that they could – much like they’ve done in the recent past.

In a trice, the game was over. England were shellshocked. They had every right to be too. They had not just seen New Zealand overcome them in a tight encounter. They had witnessed the Kiwis canter to victory.

Daryl Mitchell was waltzing around like he had conquered the world - pumping his fist like his dad John Mitchell did all those years ago playing for the All Blacks. James Neesham was being hounded by his teammates. And Williamson had the victory smile on his face for a change (against England).

Kiwi chants reverberated across Abu Dhabi. More tellingly though, they crossed seas and vibrated thousands of miles away in India. Not because the Kiwis had dumped India out of the T20 World Cup, but also because it showed how much the Indians could learn from New Zealand.

Over the past few years, the Kiwis have developed a penchant for getting the better of India. At times, it has been said that they’ve been lucky or India have repented 45 minutes (or a day or a coin flip) of bad cricket.

However, as the world grows more wistful, even the staunchest Indian supporters wouldn’t deny that New Zealand have, despite the contrast in resources, been significantly better.

Before the 2021 T20 World Cup, India seemed to hold all the aces. Their players had been plying their trade in the UAE since the middle of September, meaning that they would’ve gained considerable knowledge about the conditions.

When the tournament came around, though, India looked a pale shadow of the team that was deemed favourites to win the entire thing. In fact, it seemed that India were lifetimes away from the likes of England, New Zealand and even Pakistan.

A major factor was perhaps the lack of planning on India’s part. They tried to fit square pegs in round holes and failed miserably.

Pandya didn't bowl a lot of overs at the T20 World Cup

Hardik Pandya’s suitability to the side as a pure batter continued longer than some of India’s batting essays. Virat Kohli, who has enjoyed his finest T20 hours (recently at least) as an opener, decided to demote himself down the order, despite huffing and puffing in the middle phases through the IPL.

Suryakumar Yadav was used as a finisher (in warm-up games specifically), rather than the top order batter who tears apart IPL bowling attacks for fun. Ishan Kishan was thrown into the deep end with minimal clarity about his role. Varun Chakravarthy bowled lines and lengths that he rarely does.

If all this was somehow pardonable, India also deployed Rohit Sharma at No.3 once, for goodness’ sake.

In contrast, New Zealand, who seemed to have a relatively lightweight bowling attack, played all the right moves.

Trent Boult, who has long been a Power Play weapon, was used sparingly due to the lack of swing. Tim Southee moved away from his yorkers and bowled an assortment of slower deliveries. Adam Milne reverted to the lengths that brought him a truckload of wickets at The Hundred. And, of course, the spinners rewound the clock to the 2016 T20 World Cup.

India were annihilated by New Zealand at the T20 World Cup

So much so that when India and New Zealand collided, the Indians could barely land a punch. They were outthought, out-maneuvered and ultimately, outclassed. Yes, the star-studded India team was indeed outclassed.

Looking at how both teams performed and the way both reacted to situations, you would be forgiven to think that the Kiwis had the better resources – more analysts, more support staff, more money and of course, more players. Funnily enough, though, the numbers are so skewed in India’s favour that it doesn’t even warrant a discussion anymore.

That, however, illustrates the greatness of this New Zealand side. Not only do they manage to pick the most apt players for a particular assignment, they do enough to just find the right kind of cricketers that would serve them across formats.

India, on the other hand, are sometimes guilty of having too many options up their sleeves. So much so that they are rarely getting their complement of players right.

Additionally, India have been harboring a tendency to wilt under pressure. In these situations, they retreat into their shell at the first opportunity and seem to forget the talent they have at their disposal.

New Zealand, meanwhile, seem to back their philosophy for as long as it is humanly possible. Inevitably, it comes through for them because, well, they’ve practiced it for so long. That it has almost always arrived against India in ICC events is perhaps a tad poetic in that respect.

In simpler words, the Men In Blue have found unexpected ways to flounder at the most inopportune moments, whereas the Kiwis have found unlikely heroes at the most opportune junctures.

Apart from that, the Black Caps have been brave enough to shuffle their pack. Before the T20 World Cup began, Daryl Mitchell hadn’t struck a T20I ball in anger as an opener. Now, he is the reason New Zealand are cooling their heels before the final.

India, on the other hand, tried to shunt Rohit down the order. Rather damningly, it was probably the only element India shouldn’t have fiddled with. Yet, they did. And they paid the price.

In the World Test Championship final too, New Zealand were courageous to counter-attack the Indian bowlers on Day 4. Colin de Grandhomme tried it for a bit before perishing, whereas Kyle Jamieson also flexed his batting muscles.

In a similar situation, India let the game drift and when Rishabh Pant attempted to upset the Kiwi apple cart by stepping down the track to their pacers, the horse had already bolted.

Thus, it might not be too ludicrous to suggest that New Zealand are probably a better all-format outfit than India at the moment.

India remain a premier side. But until they can find a way to make the most of their resources and handle pressure, you feel they will remain behind the Kiwis in the pecking order.

In terms of talent, India is unparalleled. No other country in the world can hold a candle to the kind of players India can produce. Cricket, though, is not played on paper. Instead, it is about optimizing the components in your ranks and ensuring that it has just enough to trump the other.

As things stand, New Zealand seem to have stumbled upon the ideal formula – a formula India would hope Rahul Dravid can stir up during his coaching tenure.

Moreover, the whole seems to be greater than the sum of the Kiwi parts. India stand at the diametrically opposite end of the spectrum, for they seem to be better than any side pound-for-pound. Yet, aren't as dangerous as a collective.

If India can begin punching their weight, they will be one of the best teams in the world across formats. Until then, the Kiwis will rightly be the side that continues to defy expectations. So much so that they aren’t defying them anymore. Instead, they are simply setting the bar.

Both India and New Zealand are world-class outfits, make no mistake about it. Yet, the way in which both go about their jobs makes you wonder how two teams can be so similar in the levels they can achieve. But also be poles apart at the same time.