India captain Virat Kohli said that the team need to disconnect from the pressure and continue with the process after New Zealand thrashed Men in Blue by 8 wickets in the Group 2 match of Super 12 stage of the ongoing ICC Men's T20I World Cup here at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Set a modest target of 111 to win the Group 2 fixture, Kiwi opener Daryl Mitchell top-scored in a comfortable chase, hitting a quick fire 49 as his side chased it down with 33 balls to spare. The result means that India will need other games to go their way if they are to reach the semi-finals.
"I thought we were brutal upfront. We weren't brave enough when we entered the field, but NZ sustained that pressure. Every time we took a chance, we lost a wicket. It's most often a result of hesitation of whether you should go for a shot or not," Kohli in the post-match presentation.
"When you play for India, there are loads of expectations. We are watched, people come to the stadium and everyone who plays for India needs to embrace that and cope with it. We haven't done that in these two games, and that's why we haven't won."
"We have to be optimistic and positive and take calculated risks. We have to disconnect from the pressure and continue with our process and play a positive brand of cricket. There's a lot of cricket to play in the tournament," he added.
Earlier India endured a disappointing evening with the bat, limping to 110/7 off their 20 overs after being put in to bat first. Trent Boult scalped three wickets while Ish Sodhi returned with two for New Zealand.
For the Men in Blue, Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya played the innings of 26* and 23 as no Indian batter crossed the 30-runs mark.