‘We need to assess conditions better’

You Don't go to far in the world without encountering the bhangra these days but India’s players were almost taken by surprise when they landed at Wellington and were attempting to pick up their luggage when the drumbeats began. The arrival hall had been remarkably quiet until then and the place came to life when the drumbeats began.

Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan found the rhythm too energetic to resist and broke stride to shake a leg before heading on to collect their luggage. “It’s always great to hear music when you don't expect it, and when it’s Punjabi that makes it all that better," said Yuvraj.

“We did make some mistakes, but it’s only the starting of the new tour,” said Yuvraj on the loss in the first game. “We have to understand a few things, the conditions, the wickets, so hopefully we’ll make less errors in the next game.”

"We played too many shots. The moment we got going we got out. We didn't have too many early partnerships. So I guess we need to assess the conditions better in the next game and make a proper plan,” he added.

Yuvraj said the they had not fixed any particular target before they set out in the last game. “We don't set a total because we have a batting line-up that can achieve or score any target,” he said.

Andy Moles, the New Zealand coach, was desperately keen to seal the series. “We've had a lot of drawn series here in the last couple of months," he said. “We are trying to become a winning side."