“We are a collective,” says New Zealand captain Kane Williamson of his team

You always look so composed, even when there is huge pressure. Are you really calm inside or is it something you have learnt to have as an exterior?
Each person feels the pressure. It is only natural that you do. But when you are the leader, it is important you give the impression to your teammates that you are in control. If they see you calm it helps to a degree. If a bowler isn’t bowling at his best, it is my job as captain to have a silent word and give him the confidence and support. If I get flustered and show anxiety, it can rub off on him and that’s not good for the team.

India and West Indies are full of T20 superstars. Yet when they played the 2021 T20 World Cup, they unravelled as a team. On the contrary, New Zealand have no superstars barring you. And look at the record in ICC tournaments — 2015 finalists, 2019 finalists, WTC winners, 2021 finalists. What is it that New Zealand are doing that others are not?

Each team has its own style of functioning. When it comes to the New Zealand team, you are right in saying there are no superstars. But what we have is a very strong collective. We operate as a team and do things as a collective. When you are playing a team sport you need to move as a collective and that’s been our core strength. Some days results might not go your way. Take the T20 World Cup final. Australia were a better team on the night but it does not mean we will stop working as a collective, cohesive unit. You must believe in certain processes and keep following them. That’s what we do in our team.

The innings you played in the Final was one of your best. And you played conventional cricket shots, no slogging. That you can play conventional cricket and yet score at 140 is really special. Your thoughts? When T20 cricket came in, it was felt that only the big hitters will dominate the format. Others won’t have much impact. It was also felt that spinners will have almost no role to play and only those who bowled 145 kmph will be the stars. Look what’s happening at the moment. As things evolve, you find a way. If you are a batter you need to understand the angles and figure out where you need to play. You work out your plan based on your strengths and the team’s requirements. That’s what I have always tried to do and the final was no different.

Mental health is fast becoming the most worrying issue of our times. How hard has it been for you to be in the bio-bubble for such a long time?

Firstly, we are fortunate at being able to do what we love doing. Very few have that luxury and liberty in our world. I feel privileged to be able to do what I enjoy. Having said that, it is seriously difficult to stay away from family and more so if you have a young family. Being in hotel rooms away from your loved ones will surely challenge you and I was fortunate to have my family with me for the second half of the

. However much you FaceTime, it is not the same. It does take a toll on you after a point. But as I said, we are the privileged few who are in that zone of being able to do what we want to do. We need to figure out a way to deal with things.