Need to be realistic, not easy for NZ to play series three days after WC final: Dravid

KOLKATA: Team India head coach Rahul Dravid on Sunday said that he is happy with his side's performance in the three-match T20I series against New Zealand but also have to be realistic about the victory.

Rohit Sharma's 56-run knock followed by Axar Patel's three-wicket haul helped India defeat New Zealand by 73 runs in the third and final T20I here at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.

"It was a really good series win. Everyone played really well right through the series. It feels good, nice to start well. We are also quite realistic. We have to keep our feet on the ground and be a bit realistic about this win. Not easy for NZ to play a World Cup final and then to turn up three days later to play three games in six days, was never going to be easy for them. Nice from our perspective but we have to learn from this series and move forward," said Dravid in a post-match presentation.

"It's a long journey ahead over the next 10 months and we'll have our share of ups and downs. It's been really good to see some of the young guys come through. We have given the opportunity to some of the boys who haven't played a lot of cricket over the last few months. We have seen some of the skills available to us and we have to keep building on those skills as we go forward," he added.

Earlier, Rohit Sharma played a knock of 56 runs as India posted 184/7. In the final three overs, the Men in Blue managed to add 36 more runs, taking the score past the 180-run mark. Deepak Chahar played a cameo of 21 runs off just 8 balls as India posted more than a competitive total on the board.

With this win, India won the three-match series 3-0 and now both teams will square off in two-match Test series, beginning Thursday in Kanpur.