Kiwis pin posters of fans in dressing room for motivation
The Kiwis have come up with a fine way to keep the team motivated. The walls of their dressing room at the Wankhede Stadium has images of die-hard Kiwi fans.
New Zealand are through to the quarterfinals and Thursday's match against Sri Lanka in Mumbai may be inconsequential. But the Kiwis are not losing sight of the fact that a win against the 1996 World Cup champions will do wonders to their confidence and momentum in their last group game before the knockout stage.
The Kiwis have come up with a fine way to keep the team motivated.
The walls of their dressing room at the Wankhede Stadium has images of die-hard Kiwi fans. On the door of the dressing room are motivational words which are meant for players to read before stepping on to ground. "These pictures are put up to remind the players that they are here to represent their country; to keep their fans in mind when they play," a member of the squad told MiD DAY.
During their practice session, one noticed players looking at the images before making their way to the nets. There are posters of their beautiful country too.
The Kiwis, who trounced Canada on Sunday, were high on energy despite skipper Daniel Vettori and Kyle Mills being doubtful for the Lanka game.
The batsmen played many lofted shots in the nets, some landing outside the ground.
"The emphasis is on teamwork. Their coach John Wright believes more in team effort rather than individual excellence," the team's local liaison officer Nitin Dalal told MiD DAY.