Sourav Ganguly slams lackluster New Zealand for lacking grit and determination

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has revealed that he is upset with the way New Zealand is currently performing on their tour of India. The former skipper, who has a few overseas wins under his belt has slammed the touring Kiwis stating that they have no determination, no grit nor fight.

The New Zealanders slumped to a terrible loss in the first ODI at Dharamsala where they were overwhelmed by an impressive yet second-string Indian unit. Ganguly said that the Kiwis look as though they want to get the series over as soon as possible. The former Indian skipper also went on to express shock following such performances by a team as strong as New Zealand.

“I was watching the game & I have seen the Test series as well, with all due respect to everyone in the Kiwi team, they want this series to get over as soon as possible. I think they (New Zealand) have given up hope, they have given up coming back and trying to beat this Indian team. There is no determination on that side, there is no fight or grit in that team”, Sourav told India Today after the victory in Dharamshala

“You see Martin Guptill, innings after innings he has been rolled over by the Indian quicks. New Zealand cricket has never beaten the likes of Australia, South Africa or England as they never had that much talent but when you see dismissals like the ones of Kane Williamson & Ross Taylor, you just don’t see the determination. The only way they can come back is show some fight. If Tim Southee at no. 10 can get a fifty, if Tom Latham can bat with grit and determination then I really don’t see why the others cannot”, added the former India captain.

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Sourav Ganguly also went on to heap praise on the Indian team. “When you see Virat Kohli bat you see the fire, you see the hunger, you see the feet moving, it is just a different mindset. It is just his quality, he enjoys batting in ODI cricket. Players go through this period when they start believing subconsciously that I will just walk on and get runs and that is exactly what has happened to Virat Kohli. To be honest I don’t see Virat Kohli facing any problems with this New Zealand attack specially when they get only 190 on the board with this white ball & on these pitches”, said Ganguly.

“Dhoni showed a lot of faith in Hardik Pandya. The young fast bowler Pandya created trouble for them (New Zealand), Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami all have created trouble for them, so in a side when every opposition bowler is giving trouble for the batsmen then you don’t win. From my point of view what lacks in this New Zealand team is fight. I have see New Zealand teams in the past under the likes of Stephen Flemming and Brendon McCullum, there was a lot more heart in those sides as compared to this one”, said Sourav.