Failed to perform in all three departments: Rohit Sharma

Wellington: After losing the first T20 match against New Zealand, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday accepted to the defeat, saying that the team failed to perform in all three departments.

"Chasing 200 runs in Twenty20 matches is never easy. To achieve this goal, we have to keep wickets, but we kept losing wickets, and we ended up with losing the match." Rohit said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

''We have chased such targets in the past and that is why we played with eight batsmen, but we didn't have small partnerships and that made it tough. New Zealand, though played well, they had partnerships," the skipper added.

"New Zealand played well, they got a good partnership, so they reached big scores. Our next match is in Auckland, looking at the situation there, we hope to do well," he said, while appreciating the hosts.

"We as a team can pursue the goal comfortably and often we have chased big score. We believe that we can achieve the big target too, but we just couldn't do in this match," he lamented.

India and New Zealand will play their second T20I of the three-match series in Auckland on Friday.After Indian women team suffered a great loss against New Zealand, their male counterparts also succumbed under pressure on Wednesday, losing out to the Kiwis by 80 runs.(UNI)