New Zealand head coach Rob Walter acknowledged on Sunday that his side's inability to close out games had been the decisive difference in their back-to-back T20I defeats to India at Hagley Oval, Christchurch — even as he expressed satisfaction with how well the Black Caps had competed for the bulk of both contests.

The Margins That Hurt

New Zealand lost both matches by the same margin of four wickets, falling agonisingly short in a series where they are yet to register a win. Walter was candid about the fine lines in T20 cricket. 'In both games we could easily have been on the winning side of it but weren't,' he said in a video shared by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) after the team arrived in Wellington. 'Probably missed out on a couple of opportunities each time where you probably would have sealed the game off for us.'

Walter pointed to specific moments that shifted the momentum — a no-ball that denied New Zealand a wicket, and a couple of spilled chances in the field. 'No one's ever trying to make those errors, but it does creep in, and it can cost you,' he said, while conceding that India too may have had their own missed opportunities.

Bright Spots in the Batting Unit

Despite the results, Walter highlighted the batting unit's resilience, particularly in the second match. 'Three down in the powerplay, it's not often you get to 180 from that position. So Bevan and Glenn did a hell of a job there to get us to 180 in the end, which was a defendable total, if we're honest,' he said. He stressed that the team had 'played pretty well in probably 80 percent of each game,' noting the side had entered the series with limited competitive cricket under their belts.

The bowling unit, too, showed improvement from the first game to the second, according to Walter, with fielding intensity drawing particular praise. 'Our fielding intensity and effort can't be questioned. The guys have been amazing, throwing themselves around,' he noted, adding that converting a couple of missed chances would, in his view, have been enough to flip the results.

Conditions at Hagley Oval Shifted Between Games

Walter reflected on how the pitch and conditions had evolved across the two matches, making batting slightly more difficult in the second encounter. 'The surface was a little bit different. The starts to the game are different. Nothing ever flows the exact same way,' he observed. Both bowling units, having drawn lessons from the first night, also raised their game — a dynamic he described as 'a touch trickier, but still a great game of cricket.'

Eyes on Wellington and the Hnry Stadium Test

With the third T20I scheduled for Tuesday at Hnry Stadium, Wellington, Walter flagged fresh challenges. The venue's swirling, unpredictable winds and a drop-in pitch will test adaptability on both sides. 'There's no prevailing wind or specific direction that the wind comes from. It can make outfield fielding quite difficult if the ball goes up in the air,' he warned. He added that drop-in pitches introduce further variability, as their preparation and lead-in conditions can make them inconsistent from one game to the next.

'It's going to test our adaptability, and we did that really well over two games. Now it's about having to do it a third time on a third surface,' Walter said, remaining optimistic that New Zealand could put together a complete performance. India currently lead the five-match series 2-0, and New Zealand face the prospect of falling further behind if Tuesday's contest goes India's way.