15 November - Mumbai - New Zealand Captain Kane Williamson post-match press conference
[Reporter:]
It's so near yet so far, your thoughts on how it all transpired today?
[Kane Williamson:]
India are playing seriously good cricket, they're a class side at the top of their game and to come out in a semi-final and continue and repeat what they've been doing throughout this competition shows where they're at as a team. And I mean, they certainly put us under a lot of pressure in that first half. That was tough. There wasn't much in the surface for us, and we were trying to defend large parts of that. So, credit to the way that they played. And also, in that second half, proud of the fight really, it was tough, a lot of movement with the new ball and those sorts of things - so to give ourselves a bit of a sniff, although a lot of things had to go our way, it was a fair effort and I think reflecting on it - it's been seven weeks I suppose of cricket, I think as a side, we can be quite proud of the effort that's gone into getting to where we are and it just didn't quite happen for us today.
[Reporter:]
There was a storm on social media this morning about the pitch and everything about it, but three blokes scoring centuries, a guy getting a seven-wicket haul, 700 runs being scored, there wasn't really anything wrong with it was there?
[Kane Williamson:]
No, I mean, yeah it was a used wicket, but a pretty good surface really, as we saw. I mean, they got plenty out of it in the first half of the match. And conditions, I guess they change as they go under lights and things, and that's what we've seen throughout this competition. That's fine, that's what you expect and they played really well. So yeah, I mean it's disappointing to get to this stage and not go further, but also at the same time you sort of reflect on the seven weeks rather than a couple of small moments and we lost to a better side.
[Reporter:]
There's an iconic picture of you and Virat Kohli sitting on the boundary line in New Zealand and you've got a mutual admiration for each other, he just scored his 50th ODI 100 today, can you say something about that?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, I mean that's something quite special, I think if you play 50 games, some people would call that a great career to get 50 hundreds. Trying to find the words to describe it really and not just that, actually the way he goes about it, it's actually about winning games for his team and he's getting close and there's a lot of attention and that comes with a lot of his success, but actually it was always about pushing his team forward and so yeah, I mean he's the best isn't he? And he seems to be getting better, which is a worry for opposition all around the world, but you admire it. It's incredible really. Although tough to be on the other side of it today, I think in time to come, well it probably won't take too long, they were outstanding, you actually just admire his greatness and yeah, he's just getting better that guy.
[Reporter:]
Last one for me, there’s a bunch of players on this side, yourself included, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Tom Latham. You'll have played a lot of cricket together and there's potential that all of you together might not play in a World Cup again. Your thoughts on playing with this fantastic group and what it means to you?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, I mean I think it's been, I suppose an ongoing effort, as a side to keep trying to get better and push the boundaries of where we can get to as a team. All those people that you've mentioned are massive parts of that. They're all different in how they operate but they're all leaders in their own right and share a real passion for this team and we're all grateful to have those players and you can only hope that as we experience from some of our leaders as young guys that we can continue to bring players through, not just in the quality that they bring, because we've seen that in spades throughout the last seven weeks, but also in how they're approaching their cricket in order to try and move this team forward and I think we've seen that too - so some good signs certainly in this last period of time. It's not over just yet but that's where the focus is. You come to these tournaments and they can be small margins whether you get further or not, but ultimately it's about growing as a group and becoming a better cricket team and I think the seven weeks were really valuable for us as a side. We wanted to go further naturally, but we'll reflect on it and take a lot of good out of it.
[Reporter:]
Mohamed Shami took five wickets against you both the times that he played. So, what makes it so difficult to sort of negotiate against him and is he the best wide ball fast bowler in world cricket today?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, he's been incredible. He's only played probably half the games and he might be close to top wicket taker and coming on first change, behind two outstanding new ball bowlers. I mean he's without a doubt one of the top operators in the world and the way he moves the ball and he keeps bringing the stumps into play. It's been quite phenomenal really, the amount of wickets he's gotten in such a small amount of games in this tournament. So, I mean, that Indian team in all departments are firing without a doubt and I'm sure they'll be looking forward to their next opportunity in a few days' time.
[Reporter:]
Your team played against India twice? Do you think that in these conditions, it is very difficult to stop India in the finals?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, for India's next match? Yeah. They're the best team in the world and they're all playing their best cricket, so that's tough. And I think we see in cricket - often it's surrounded with failure and how you deal with it. The way they've played throughout this tournament has been incredible. They haven't missed a beat really and to come into a semi-final, you go through your round-robin and you try and get to the stage and it starts again but the way they came out and played, yeah, shows the mindset that they have and the space that they're in and I've got no doubt they'll go into that next match full of confidence.
[Reporter:]
It's been like a tournament of two halves for you guys to have won four in a row and then lost five of the last six was it like an unsettled second half with injuries your injury didn't help and you lost Matt Henry. Were there factors and you losing momentum after the first set of four games?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yes, and no, I mean the injuries weren’t helpful - you never want those but there was still some good cricket there and we had a couple of close losses and our focus is always on the cricket, you always want the wins, but we still continue to focus on how we want to keep going out as a team, not overreact to the loss the previous match and actually keep turning up and playing what's in front of us. The conditions, they keep changing a little bit, and I thought we did that quite well to get to the stage and I suppose once you get to the knockouts it's anything can happen and yeah it wasn't to be today but proud of a lot of the effort that went into it, it was an extremely tough first half. India came out in full force and we didn't create many opportunities. It was tough to try and stem the flow of runs and that's sort of the way it goes. They played extremely well and they're without doubt the better team today.
[Reporter:]
I'm sure it must be disappointing to lose this World Cup semi-final, but you still have a smile on your face after the defeat and now you've come across as one of the nicest persons and won so many admirers in India. What is it about?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, it would be a bigger smile if I’d won – but at the same time you appreciate the fact that India were outstanding today. We try and focus on our cricket, not just on one day, but for a period of time and that's how I try and reflect on our time here. I know it's still quite recent and it is disappointing without a doubt to not go further. But in terms of taking steps forward as a team and wanting to do it at the right times there was a lot of good stuff but that blue machine keeps rolling and they were too good for us today and we gave ourselves some opportunities in the second half, but it wasn't to be and they thoroughly deserve their win.
[Reporter:]
When you look back today, what is the difference that made the difference between the two teams today? What do you feel didn't go away over here like any particular area that you think that could have been done differently?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, I suppose we'll sit down and talk about that a little bit I mean; we move on quite quickly now to another series but sometimes you have to tip your cap to a team that plays well and I mean they were outstanding. For us as a team you're always trying to do things better. You do your homework, you train hard, you try and come up with some different options. When you have a team like India at the top of their game, and sometimes that's not enough resistance, and it wasn't today. I mean, we didn't create many meaningful opportunities that could actually change the flow of runs in that first half and that wasn't through lack of effort, it was just quality on the opposition side and we were sort of searching and yeah, they did it well from the start - and for us it's sucking it up and taking it on the chin taking those experiences in to become a better side and move forward.
[Reporter:]
For a bowling attack as versatile and on top of its game like India's, how do you as opposition actually plan and target at least one bowler on a given day, especially in the knockout?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, I suppose you don't go in to an innings with a pre-empted idea, because you don't quite know who is going to be the bigger threat on any given day. And I mean, out there with the new ball, they were all threatening, and then it spun. And so, you were just trying to get yourself into a position to have a go and change the momentum and I thought we did manage to do that but we did need a lot to go our way naturally when you're chasing a total like that with as much assistance as they were able to get out of the surface. So, yeah, I mean, it's unfortunately for us that's sort of the way it went today, but like I say, a lot of positives to take out of it.
[Reporter:]
Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat. Did you worry about losing the toss today because we saw the Indians heavily scored against your bowlers?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, we would have batted as well, but it's the toss of a coin, isn't it? So, you're still trying to operate regardless of what you do. And they certainly made the most of that opportunity. They were outstanding. It's not all on the toss. But they made best use of the conditions that they had. And we were certainly trying our best. And it didn't quite go away today.
[Reporter:]
Darrell Mitchell, I think, special batsman. He scored two centuries against both Indian matches. How do you feel about that, Mitchell?
[Kane Williamson:]
Mitchell, phenomenal player and just the ultimate competitor, he goes out there, he loves the occasion, and he's been outstanding for us throughout this whole tournament. And to go out and do what he did today, giving us a chance, albeit a slimmest chance, but will take anything when you're chasing 400, was a fine effort from a world-class player.
[Reporter:]
It's been a tough campaign; a lot of injuries and you had your ups and downs as a team as well but still you came close to reaching the final. So, what are the positives you would want to take from this campaign whether it's player wise or even otherwise as well?
[Kane Williamson:]
Yeah, we had our fair share of bits and pieces go on, but that's life. Most teams are dealing with something on any given day. But I think the attitude that the guys kept coming back with. You have to move on quick from games, whether you win them or lose them. It's always about the next one, and they're all the same value in terms of two points or whatever it is. So, it's a difficult thing to micromanage. Not every game's a final in pool play, it's about operating for seven weeks and playing your best cricket and adjusting to what's in front of you as well as you can and if you do that as a side, you'll hopefully end up in a reasonable spot which we were able to do - so there's a lot of good in that for us. And also, some younger guys coming in as well which I think was amazing to have those experiences here. Cricket in India is an amazing thing and even today it was an incredible atmosphere and you're playing the home nation who love it more than most. And it was still a fantastic occasion and some real highlights from individuals as well, which is a really positive thing for us as a whole.