Aware of the dangers that spin wizard Rashid Khan poses as a bowler, New Zealand batters tried to work through his spell and were able to nullify the threat during their 149-run win over Afghanistan, said wicketkeeper-batter Glenn Phillips.
Rashid could only manage figures of 1 for 43 in his 10 overs, while a couple of dropped chances against his bowling hurt his spell too.
"Everyone plans against Rashid as best as they can. Sometimes, he has an unbelievable day, and he's just unplayable regardless of how much you plan," Phillips told reporters in Chennai.
"We understood that if we could keep him quiet, it would allow us to take on other bowlers. I have seen batters taking on Rashid really well, besides also seeing others struggle against him.
"We have realised that we need to work through his spell. It's a cool challenge every time you face him. He bowled incredibly well today, but I believe that we nullified his threat today."
Phillips played a knock of 71 and involved in a partnership of 144 runs with skipper Tom Latham (68), allowing them to recover from 110 for 4 and post a competitive total of 288 for 6.
It was Phillips' first fifty of the ongoing world cup.
"We went out there and tried to do the particular job. It was nice to be able to contribute today with the bat," he said.
"Afghanistan spinners are incredibly talented. We just tried to take them one over at a time and realised that if we can drag it longer, we can have firepower at the end.
"It was all about what's the good score here and what can we potentially defend, and also try to get as close to it as possible."
Excited to play at Dharamsala: Chapman
The Kiwis will be up against hosts India next in Dharamsala on Sunday, and all-rounder Mark Chapman is eagerly looking forward to playing at the picturesque venue.
"I am excited to play at Dharamsala; it's a beautiful ground with beautiful scenes. I have played there once, probably a warm-up game against Hong Kong in 2016, so looking forward to it," he said.
Chapman slammed 25 off 12 balls with the help of a six and two fours to swell New Zealand's innings.
Talking about his role as a finisher, he said: "I have played a lot more T20 cricket for New Zealand than one-day cricket, so batting down the lower order and doing the right things helps you.
"I guess it's all about playing as per the team's requirement. As for me, today was not the day to act as a finisher, but rather bat as long as possible and post a defendable total."
