Skipper Sourav Ganguly said India fell 20 runs short in the final and it helped New Zealand romp to a six-wicket victory and claim the Videocon Cup cricket tri-series.
"We had a good start but probably fell 20 runs short," Ganguly said after another loss in a tournament final.
"We lost our way a bit in the middle overs and quite a few wickets fell pretty quickly," he said.
The rousing start that Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle gave New Zealand meant that India were always behind in the game, India's captain said.
He, however, complemented part-timers Virender Sehwag and uvraj Singh who applied the brakes on the scoring rate after the frontline seamers were hit all around the Harare Sports Club ground.
The dropped catches also did not help the team's cause, Ganguly said, adding "we need to find a way to win pressure games".
Winning captain Stephen Fleming attributed the success to the "all-round qualities" of the New Zealand side.
"Different players have fronted up on different occasions and the senior players have taken responsibility in big matches," he said.
Having Man of the Series Shane Bond and Daniel Vettori at his disposal also made his job easier, Fleming said.
Man of the match Nathan Astle expressed surprise that the Indians batted on winning the toss.
"The wicket was a bit slow and afforded turn but our start made the crucial difference," he said.
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