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New Zealand's star batter Glenn Phillips praised India's ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah as a class bowler with fantastic variations, especially in the death overs.
He recalled Kiwi's success against Bumrah in their bilateral series before the ongoing T20 World Cup and emphasised that Bumrah is human and can have a bad day, hoping they can capitalise on it. Phillips remarks came before defending champions India and New Zealand's clash in the final of the T20 World Cup on Sunday, March 8, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. "We had a really good trip against him in the bilateral series as well. But he's a class bowler. Bumrah is a fantastic bowler. He's got so many variations. He hits the block hole at the death overs incredibly well. He is human as well. He is allowed to have a bad day, as are the rest of us. So hopefully, we have a good day against him," Glenn Phillips told the reporters in Ahmedabad. Phillips also emphasised that a bowler is allowed to miss his lengths, and if he does so, then the batters should put the ball away and grab as many runs as they can. "But that also means that if he does bowl well, we do have to, I guess, accommodate for other things and adapt on the fly," he added. Phillips said Kolkata's dew factor helped them understand conditions, and chasing 170 against South Africa in the semi-finals was a great opportunity. He noted that dew is a factor in India this time of year, but emphasised adapting and executing skills regardless of conditions. "No real excuses". "I think coming from Kolkata, it was a great opportunity to understand that dew factor. We were obviously lucky enough to win the toss and bat. And I guess chasing down 170 in a very limited number of overs was just fantastic. Especially the boys up top. They're used to playing with high strike rates. And obviously, all the Indian boys do the same," Phillips said. "Obviously, the dew factor is always a thing here in India this time of year. And whether the chemicals work or whether the dew is going to be a factor, if we do end up having to bat first and bowl second, then we're going to have to adapt as much as possible to that situation. And I guess go out there and try to execute our skills as much as possible, whether we've got a wet ball or a dry ball. There's no real excuse," Phillips added. Philips also lauded India's phenomenal talent, saying they could probably pick three sides that would compete just as evenly in this World Cup. "The talent that comes out of India is phenomenal. You know, they could probably pick three sides that would compete just as evenly in this World Cup. So, for us to go out and compete with teams around the world with such a small population is fantastic. But I think we've put it down to a lot to our team culture, our preparation, and, I guess, trying to do the little things well," he concluded. India reached the final after beating England in Mumbai, while New Zealand reached the final after thrashing South Africa in Kolkata. The two teams also made it to the final of the Champions Trophy in 2025 and, almost exactly a year later, will again lock horns in the summit clash of an ICC event. (ANI)
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