It’s just about doing the basics for long enough: Jonathan Trott

Afghanistan succumbed to a six-wicket loss in the first T20 International (T20I) against India in chilly conditions in Mohali. Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott says that the team firmly believes they can win in India, but they need to do the basics consistently for long periods.

Afghanistan managed to post just 158 on the board on a batting surface, largely thanks to some power-hitting from Mohammad Nabi (42 off 27) in the end, but a slow start from the opening batters did not allow them to get those extra 20-25 runs, which may have proved useful.

"There are little things that we need to get better at if we want to compete with the likes of India in India. And going forward, with one eye slightly on the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, I believe in these guys. I firmly believe that when you come to India, we can win,” Trott said after the match.

“It’s just about doing the basics for long enough."

Speaking of the game, Trott believes that a combination of a slow start at the top and losing three quick wickets prevented Afghanistan from reaching a match-winning total.

"We were 33 without loss in the powerplay, and a bit of credit has to go to India with the way they bowled. But then, we lost a wicket just before drinks and were at 57 for 3," Trott, who recently extended his contract with the Afghan team, said.

"So we didn’t have a great four overs after that, but we ended up scoring 110 in the last ten overs, and that shows what can be achieved when the guys get together."

“There are good things to take with us, and there are certainly things we need to work on. We were just a little bit short with the bat, just 20 to 25 runs. We had a good start, and we had an opportunity.”

Speaking of the next game in Indore on Sunday (January 14), Trott said, "We need to look at what we can do better in the next game in Indore where we make it as tough as possible, or not possible at all.”