AUCKLAND: New Zealand batter Finn Allen believes the batting blitz, led by Abhishek Sharma and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the third T20 International, offers them valuable lessons for a potential meeting with India in the format's World Cup in couple of years' time.
India chased down a daunting 199-run target in just 13.2 overs in Wellington, with Abhishek smashing a 38-ball 113 and sharing a 133-run opening stand with Sooryavanshi to hand the visitors a crushing six-wicket win and an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
"I think the amount of learnings we can take from it and plans we can put in place for when we come up against them here, potentially in a couple of years, is really good for us. And you have to enjoy it. You know, cricket's always a lot of ups and downs. So you have to find enjoyment in whatever you do."
Allen said it was difficult to stop the Indian duo once they got going, adding that New Zealand would review the defeat and devise fresh plans for the next match.
"When someone like Abhishek gets going like that it's pretty hard to stop him. So just one of those things and you just move on to the next one," Allen said.
"I think it's just one of those things, as I said, when someone like Abhishek gets going and Vaibhav, you know, they're pretty hard to stop for anybody."
The New Zealand batter said the team had put up what it considered a competitive total but acknowledged that conditions could become easier for batting as a match progresses.
"I think, you know, with the bat we probably gave ourselves a competitive score, what we thought was a competitive score, and then naturally conditions in these times probably get a little bit easier," he said.
Allen said the players would have to move on quickly from the defeat, with the fast-paced nature of T20 cricket leaving little time to dwell on results.
"We'll have a couple of days now to review and move on to the next one. Different dimensions out here again, kind of the opposite to what we had the other night, so I'm sure bowlers will come up with different plans and batters as well," he said.
"So, you know, it's a fast-paced game and games come thick and fast, so we have to move on pretty quick."
With the fourth T20I scheduled at Eden Park, where the shorter boundaries could make for another high-scoring contest, Allen said both batting units would look forward to the challenge.
"Yeah, I think for both parties it's probably a bit more exciting for the batters and bowlers. So as a batting unit, we're pretty looking forward to getting out here. We always enjoy playing out here and a sold-out crowd as well is really exciting," he said.
"Every game's been exciting for the fans to watch and hopefully we can have another one on Friday."
New Zealand have also lost the toss in all three matches so far, and Allen acknowledged that it had played a significant role in the shortest format, though he admitted the team could do little about it.
"Yeah, we can only put that down to one man, unfortunately, Santner. But yeah, look, I think it does play a huge part in T20 cricket. I think you see the conditions... dew up pretty hard overnight. So it's one of those things, right? We can't really control too much," he said.
"Santner maybe can work on his touring tossing, touring tossing, we've got there. But yeah, other than that, it's kind of out of our control."
Despite the series defeat, Allen said New Zealand would treat each of the remaining matches with equal importance and use the experience to prepare for the T20 World Cup to be held in the country in a couple of years.
"No, I think every game is just as important as the other, regardless of where the series sits," he said.
"While losing is never ideal and not what you want, you know, we're building towards a bigger picture of that World Cup here in a couple of years' time. So you take a lot of learnings and I guess I find a lot of enjoyment in those learnings. So you have to take the good with the bad."
Allen did not consider the third T20I defeat a reality check for New Zealand, instead describing it as an opportunity to learn from one of the world's best teams.
"I don't think it's a reality check. I think I would say it's a sign of, you know, when someone like that gets going. As I said, it's great learnings for us," he said.
"You know, you want to compete against the best as often as you can to test for your games. And you know, they're obviously top of the world right now."