GUYS HAVE BEEN TIRED, BUT WE PLAY FOR NEW ZEALAND WITH PRIDE: CHAPMAN

New Zealand batter Mark Chapman admitted that the guys in his side are tired after playing a game just two days after the T20 World Cup final but he also accepted the challenges of international cricket in today’s age.

Suryakumar Yadav (62) and Rohit Sharma (48) starred with the bat as India chased down 165 to defeat New Zealand by five wickets in the first T20I of the three-match series here at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. “The guys 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,” said Chapman after the game.

“To be honest, it was just nice to be out there. Had a lot of training behind the scenes, but nothing beats the real thing of being out in the middle,” he added.Martin Guptill and Mark Chapman played knocks of 70 and 63 respectively as New Zealand posted a total of 164/6. For India, Ravichandran Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned with two wickets each.

“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,” said Chapman.“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,” he added.

With this win, India gained a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with the second game set to be played on Friday.