IND vs NZ 2021: Guys Have Been Little Bit Tired But We Always Play For New Zealand With Pride - Mark Chapman

New Zealand batsman Mark Chapman acknowledged the fact that the team seems a bit tired after the T20 World Cup, but they continue to give it their all and play with pride whenever they turn up to play for the Kiwis.

Just three days ago, Kane Williamson‘s men were defeated by Australia in the T20 World Cup final. It was another disappointing loss in the final for the Kiwis but what was worse was they had to turn around and make a trip to India for another series within the next couple of days.

This is very poor scheduling considering the Black Caps haven’t had any time to recover from their defeat. As expected, the players are very tired both physically and mentally, but their attitude on the pitch remains the same, as per Chapman.

“The guys [have] been a little bit tired, but we always play for New Zealand with pride. Particularly for myself and Todd, who have been on the sidelines, it was a really exciting moment to be playing. To be honest, it was just nice to be out there. Had a lot of training behind the scenes, but nothing beats the real things of being out in the middle,” Chapman said after last night’s match.

“I did my best to support the guys in and around training” – Mark Chapman

The T20 World Cup held in the UAE lasted for around a month. Mark Chapman was part of the team but didn’t get to play in a single match. However, he didn’t let that affect the team morale, and he continuously looked to pump up his teammates for the matches.

“In World Cups, you play your best XI, and if we’re going well, then more than likely you stick with your best team. So it just meant that I was on the sidelines for a bit. I did my best to support the guys in and around training.”

“You find ways to add context to your training. Obviously, being in and around this environment, you try and train the best you can given the situation and make the most of the opportunities to train. There was a lot of training in the background. I felt prepared, but I guess match preparation wise it wasn’t ideal. But just happy to be out there,” Chapman further stated.

India defeated New Zealand by five wickets in the first of the 3-match T20I series. The next game will be played in Kolkata on Friday.

Also, Read – IND vs NZ 2021: Aakash Chopra Feels Rohit Sharma Made An Error Of Not Bowling Venkatesh Iyer Against New Zealand