New Zealand pacer Milne hopeful of making a difference for his team against India

New Zealand pacer Adam Milne, who was drafted into the squad in place of injured Lockie Ferguson, is eager to make the most of his rich vein of form in the ongoing T20 World Cup, including in the Super 12 match against India here on Sunday.

Initially named as a travelling reserve, Milne was drafted into the squad after Ferguson was ruled out of the showpiece owing to a calf tear and was expected to play in the team's tournament opener against Pakistan on Tuesday.

However, on reaching the ground, he was told to sit out because the team was still waiting for the ICC to approve him as an injury replacement.

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"Yeah, I definitely feel like this has been the best period of consistent cricket I've had in a long, long time," Milne, who has been in splendid form playing in the Big Bash League, Vitality Blast, and the Hundred, told reporters.

"I'd love to make the most of it and continue to use this period to develop and perform really well at a high level. I'm excited to hopefully make a difference with the ball in these games here and really prove this period has been influential for me," he added.

The 29-year-old, who played for Mumbai Indians in the recently concluded IPL, feels he could have added to New Zealand's performance in the five-wicket loss against Pakistan.

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“I think if you'd looked at the way the pitch played throughout the course of the IPL, the faster guys that had been able to hit the wicket hard and create some uneven bounce had caused some problems for the batters," he said.

"I think I would have been able to add something to the team, but it wasn't meant to be, and I thought our guys bowled really well and unfortunately for us, they came out and batted really well towards that end part of the game.”

Both India and New Zealand will be keen to register their first win of the tournament when they clash against each other on Sunday.

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