We need to look at bigger picture and peak for T20 World Cup: NZ bowling coach Oram after India series defeat

Bowling coach Jacob Oram on Tuesday hoped that New Zealand will be able to put aside the drubbing by India in the ongoing T20I series and peak during next month’s T20 World Cup.

The Kiwis came into the five-match T20I series with high hopes after registering their maiden ODI series win on these shores, but failed to find their bearings against an aggressive Indian top-order.

“Well, the easy answer is that we win these two games (4th and 5th T20Is) and that would be nice for the overall team confidence. I said before about guys coming back from niggles and injury layoffs, guys finding their own individual confidence, but to win games is nice,” Oram said during the pre-match press conference.

But Oram admitted that the team needed to look beyond the results in the T20I series, and remain focussed on the ICC showpiece.

“To sing our winning team song after a nice victory against a good side would be cool, but at the same time, you’ve got to look a bit deeper than wins and losses. And that’s not downplaying the results here, but we’ve got to make sure that we’re looking at the longer term and the bigger picture as well. And, historically, New Zealand have peaked well during the ICC events.

“Despite the results (in the ongoing T20I series), if we come out better off for it, and we’re somewhere near the Super Eights in the semifinals and the final (of T20 World Cup), this will be a great period for us,” he said.

So, how to stay unnerved in the face of such persistent aggression from India’s batters? Oram fell back on the inherent ability of New Zealanders to remain cool under most circumstances.

“I think we have an ability to stay calm amidst the storm that is currently happening and I think that is part and parcel of who we are as a team and probably as New Zealanders as well. We don’t get too high or low and we know we’re not playing as well as we can.

“At the same time, we know that this Indian team is so good. So, we’ve got to make sure that we keep our eye on the long term. I think that’s part of the reason why we are able to peak for ICC events. And if that happens in February, March, then that’s great,” he added.

The former New Zealand all-rounder hoped that the addition of express pacer Lockie Ferguson would open another dimension to his team’s attack.

“He’ll go through a battery of tests, if you want to call it that, where he’s bowling, fielding and coming out to bowl. It almost simulates spells where he’s going up and down in his energy, and we’re hoping to have him back for the back end of the series,” said Oram.

Ferguson eyes T20 World Cup

On his part, Ferguson was excited to be back in the national team’s fold after an injury-plagued 2025.

“Yeah, really happy to be back with the Black Caps. I love being part of this group. Nice to be back in India as well. So, looking forward to hopefully partaking at some point.

“Challenging 2025 for sure. But I still want to get better. I still want to perform on the world stage. I think being in a World Cup picture is nice. Obviously, there’s some water to go under the bridge for me before then. I want to test myself against the best in the world.

“So, rehab sucks. Injuries suck. There’s no doubt about it. I think there’s been a lot of injuries in world cricket. It’s been challenging for the fast bowlers,” he added.

Ferguson hoped that New Zealand would bounce back from the defeat in the T20I series and do well in next month’s World Cup to be played across India and Sri Lanka.

“There are very different grounds and wickets in India, certainly over the last five, 10 years, they have become outstanding. They’re good wickets to bat on and make it challenging for bowlers. But you can see bowlers have developed their skills throughout that. Obviously, India’s going very nicely now, but we’ll have some different competition in the World Cup. So, it’s adjusting to the ground. The conditions change all the time, which is why it’s so exciting. So, the Black Caps have been very good at that for a long period of time and I’m sure it won’t change,” he noted.

Published on Jan 27, 2026