New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry has revealed his plan to counter India’s in-form opening batter Abhishek Sharma ahead of the fifth and final T20I of the series. Henry said New Zealand will look to apply sustained pressure through discipline and accuracy rather than searching for quick breakthroughs.
New Zealand recorded their first win of the series by beating India by 50 runs in the fourth T20I match on Wednesday, January 28, at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Henry dismissed Abhishek for a golden duck, which helped the visiting team gain control and reduce the lead to 3-1.
He’s Been Playing Brilliantly Over the Last Two Years – Matt Henry on Abhishek Sharma
Matt Henry revealed how his team plans to contain Abhishek Sharma, who has been in strong form for the past two years. Henry said Abhishek has been attacking bowlers consistently and added that New Zealand’s focus will be on building pressure.
“He’s been playing brilliantly over the last two years and he’s been taking to attacks, not just in international cricket but in IPL as well. I think for us it’s just about how you’re putting him under pressure,” Matt Henry told the media.
“It’s challenging from a bowling point of view but the key thing is how do you come back when you have a mixed over, how do you have an impact on the game and not worry about those things? “I think it all comes back down to accuracy. You have to be accurate at what you’re doing and you’re just trying to put your best foot forward,” he added.
It’s Never Nice Being Put Under That Kind of Pressure – Matt Henry
Matt Henry said that New Zealand’s tour of India has been valuable preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup. He added that New Zealand stayed focused on long-term goals, took positives from the experience, and showed strong character by remaining confident heading into the final match.
“For me, T20 cricket is about confidence…how do you keep coming back and challenging batters when you’re under pressure? How do you find a way to make it work? But if you keep turning up, you keep learning and I think that’s probably a highlight of this series for us.
“It’s never nice being put under that kind of pressure but we knew that the long-term picture was getting prepared for a World Cup and how do you put teams under pressure when they’re flying like that.
“So, it was all positive gains from our point of view and we’re just really pleased that the guys could still stay confident going into that last game. I think that is a true testament of character of the group,” Henry said.
It’s Obviously a Big Toll on the Body – Matt Henry on Leading New Zealand Attack
Henry has taken on a bigger responsibility since the retirements of Tim Southee and Trent Boult over the past two years. The pacer said that he is proud to lead the attack across all formats but admitted the workload is demanding, especially with tight cricket schedules.
“I think it’s obviously a big toll on the body. I think the scheduling of cricket is getting tighter and tighter as well so that presents different challenges.
“We’ve got some young guys getting some new experiences here and we’ve got other guys that have been here too. From my point of view, it’s great having a well-balanced squad. In terms of us all three forms, it’s great to be able to have so much depth,” he elaborated.
“How do you, I suppose, get the batters to make a mistake when things are probably in their favour? So you’re just trying to, I suppose, whether you’re playing on the crease, creating variations, changing your pace but as I said it’s all about variations,” he said.
Also read: Why Ishan Kishan Is Winning Race To Partner Abhishek Sharma Over Sanju Samson In T20 World Cup 2026?
