Bevon Jacobs Refuses To Give Up Despite New Zealand's Series Defeat

New Zealand have already lost the T20I series to India, but batter Bevon Jacobs said his side will not "step off the gas" and will focus on getting the "small margins" right in the remaining two matches of the five-game series. New Zealand trail 0-3 in the series. "Obviously, it's not ideal being 3-0 down, but the vibe is pretty positive. The first two games were really competitive and there was a lot of good cricket played, so we'll take that forward into the next two fixtures and try to get one up," Jacobs said ahead of the fourth T20I against India. "We'll obviously know what the state of the series is like, but that doesn't mean stepping off the gas. We're going to reflect on everything that we've done in the first three fixtures and go out there and give it our all in the last two."

Jacobs said New Zealand had put themselves in positions to win all three matches but failed to capitalise on key moments.

"T20 cricket is a game of small margins. And if we're being honest, we put ourselves in positions to win those games and we just didn't get over the line. But again, you've got to tip your hat to someone who plays a knock like that. It was pretty special to watch," he said, referring to Abhishek Sharma's century.

"The boys are really focused on trying to nail those small percentages that T20 cricket brings so that we can get that win."

Jacobs did not blame the toss for New Zealand's defeats.

"The toss is just something that's part of the game. You can talk about winning and losing the toss, but at the end of the day, you get paid to go out there and do your job, whatever gets thrown at you."

IPL Stint Helped Me Learn In Different Conditions

Jacobs believes his stint with Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League provided valuable lessons, particularly in adapting to unfamiliar conditions and learning from experienced players.

"That experience was huge for me, just to go over and learn, especially in different conditions," said the 24-year-old, who has scored 128 runs at a strike rate of 150.58 in the first three games of the series.

"It's nice to experience conditions away from home and since then I've had the opportunity to go to a few other places as well. But it's always nice to come back and be in the Black Caps environment, surrounded by close mates and people who back you."

The right-handed batter was signed by the five-time IPL champions ahead of the 2025 season but did not feature in a game.

Jacobs has made steady progress since making his international debut against South Africa in June 2024. He has scored 311 runs in 14 T20Is at an average of 34.55 and a strike rate of 146.00, including two half-centuries.

Excited to play at home, Jacobs also spoke about the significance of featuring in front of a packed Eden Park crowd.

"The big one is obviously the 2015 World Cup. I was in the stands watching, and that was the last time I was at Eden Park when it was sold out. For it to be now, and me being able to play, it's a full-circle, dream-come-true sort of moment," he said.

When asked about an update on opener Finn Allen, Jacobs said: "Look, I don't know how Finn's body is feeling, but he was batting out there today and looked pretty good. He always looks a million bucks, so hopefully he goes out there and hits some bombs."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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