"I’m looking forward to just going out and doing my thing" - Martin Guptill ahead of New Zealand's 2021 T20 World Cup opener

New Zealand opener Martin Guptill has said that he is looking forward to playing his natural game at the ongoing 2021 T20 World Cup. The Black Caps open their campaign in the tournament against Pakistan in Sharjah on Tuesday.

Guptill, who is renowned for his belligerent hitting at the top of the order, hasn't played a T20I game in the UAE in seven years. Although he averages 36 in T20Is and has a strike rate of 142, those numbers are only 20 and 112, respectively, in the country.

Opening up on the challenges of batting in the UAE, Guptill said that he would have liked his numbers to be better. However, he hopes to take confidence from his performances in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup; Guptill was New Zealand's top scorer in that edition, with 140 runs in five games.

Underlining the need to be positive at the top of the order, the 35-year old was quoted as saying by Stuff.co.nz:

"Obviously I would've liked to have gone better, but that's all in the past now. At the last World Cup in India, I was our top run-scorer, so I can draw on that experience and that confidence that I have been able to do it before."

"I’m looking forward to just going out and doing my thing and making sure that I'm just being as positive as I can be at the top of the order. But once we get there and have a wee look and see how it's playing, we can play accordingly."

The sluggish wickets in the UAE have been challenging to bat on, as they've been conducive to spinners and slow bowlers. So it remains to be seen how a free-scoring batter like Guptill adapts to the challenge.

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"It's the team that adapts quicker in the conditions that will prevail" - Martin Guptill

New Zealand. (Image Credits: Twitter)

Guptill further said that slam-bang cricket in the UAE is unlikely to yield success, and one has to be patient by rotating the strike. Terming adaptability as the key to success in such conditions, the Auckland-born player said:

"First and foremost, you just have to go out and try to be as positive as possible, and if it's not conducive to hitting big shots, it’s about looking to rotate, looking to get off strike, and putting the bad ball away when it comes and just being clinical like that in putting partnerships together. It's the team that adapts quicker in the conditions that you're in that's going to win the game."

New Zealand have never gone beyond the semi-finals at the T20 World Cup, reaching that stage of the competition twice (2007 and 2016).

However, after winning the inaugural ICC Test Championship, Kane Williamson and co will fancy their chances of winning their second ICC title in 2021.