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NEW DELHI: New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips believes their recent T20I series against India proved invaluable in helping the side adjust to subcontinent conditions during the ongoing T20 World Cup.
The Black Caps had toured India for a white ball series featuring five T20Is and three ODIs in the lead up to the global event, gaining crucial experience in varying surfaces and climates.
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On Tuesday, New Zealand progressed to the Super Eights from a challenging group that featured South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada and UAE. The Kiwis won three of their four matches, with their only defeat coming against the Proteas.
"We had a good lead up with India and learned a lot over there about the conditions. And we've had a couple of conditions that have changed over here as well, which is fantastic.
"We've had to be adaptable. And credit to the teams that we've played, they've obviously batted very well on all occasions, which is great. And it's put us under a bit of pressure," Phillips said after New Zealand's eight-wicket win over Canada.
"But I think that's really good for us going forward into the next Super 8 phase."
Focus shifts to Sri Lanka challenge
New Zealand, who played their group fixtures in Chennai and Ahmedabad, will now travel to Sri Lanka for the Super Eight stage.
"Understanding the (conditions in) Sri Lanka is going to be obviously different again," Phillips said.
"I guess that part of the tournament starts coming down to who's going to keep their calm the most and I guess who can -- not necessarily play the long game per se, because it's obviously T20 cricket, but who can hold their nerve for the longest, especially if pitches start deteriorating."
Phillips and Ravindra power Canada win
Against Canada, Phillips produced a blistering unbeaten 76 off 36 balls and stitched together a match winning 146 run partnership with Rachin Ravindra, who returned to form with a 39 ball 59.
"Yeah, he's a fantastic cricketer. And it's one of those things where class is permanent and form is temporary," Phillips said when asked about Ravindra.
"So it was only a matter of time before he was going to come right again, and the beauty of this team is that selection is given for over a long period of time, and we trust our players, and we have a great group of guys where we're giving to something bigger than ourselves."
Associate nations earning respect
The associate sides have turned heads in this World Cup, with Zimbabwe defeating Australia while Nepal and Italy pushed stronger teams close.
Phillips admitted that facing associate nations can often be the most testing encounters because of unpredictability and expectation.
"Yeah, actually I think it would be fantastic. For me personally, they're the most nerve-wracking games because you're playing guys that you haven't seen before," he said.
"You know on their given day they're all quality as well, but then there's also the stigma that you should beat them and that becomes quite tough, especially on the world stage where people tighten up."
Phillips emphasised that exposure at major tournaments is vital for the growth of emerging cricketing nations.
"We see upsets in World Cups all the time. And that's fantastic for the associate nations to have that experience, to understand and get a taste of what it's like at the top level.
"But they produce some really good cricketers. On their day, they're fantastic and they match up with everybody out there. So yeah, playing more associate nations would be fantastic and they can't grow without that exposure I suppose as well," Phillips added.
(With PTI Inputs)
