Williamson blames bowling for New Zealand defeat

New Delhi Nov 1 (IANS) New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson rued his team s poor bowling effort for the loss to India in the opening clash of the three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series here on Wednesday.

India dominated all departments of the game putting together a massive total of 202/3 before restricting the visitors to 149/8.

"It was a disappointing performance tonight. We were very poor on the field. India played superbly. There are no excuses. We needed to play better. India were outstanding and never gave us a sniff " Williamson said after the match.

"The spinners bowled really well but the bowlers around them went for a lot of runs " he added.

The Kiwi captain also paid tribute to veteran Indian pacer Ashish Nehra who played his last international match on Wednesday.

Nehra who belongs to Delhi bowled an economical spell of 4/29 in his four overs before being carried around the ground on the shoulders of his teammates in an emotional farewell.

"I want to congratulate Ashish on a fantastic career. I have played against him and with him always a gentleman on and off the field " Williamson said.

--IANS
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