India coach Khalid Jamil said his players are “highly motivated” to put up a better performance against New Zealand after the 5-0 thrashing in the first of the two international friendlies.The loss against the World Cuppers, who are 50 places ahead in the FIFA rankings, left the team “devastated”, said captain Anirudh Thapa. But while there are no excuses for a shambolic performance where the team did little of note, external factors were also at play.“There were things beyond our control,” said Jamil, whose side has now lost three games in a row, all against teams that featured at the last FIFA World Cup. “We are playing an away game, and there is a seven-and-a-half-hour time difference. We had only one day of practice before travelling, then we played within two days. It takes time to adjust. Sometimes the mind is ready, but the body is not.”Now, the coach said, “everybody is settled,” for the second international friendly at the One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch on Sunday.“We have to go out and give everything. I can see that they are highly motivated,” said Jamil.India were found wanting against New Zealand in the first friendly.New Zealand hardly stepped into second gear yet were able to comprehensively outclass the visitors. It was an error-strewn performance from India, with Vishal Kaith the lone bright spot. The goalkeeper made seven saves, which included a penalty and two one-on-ones.“At this level, you cannot afford to make too many mistakes,” said Thapa, who captained India for only the second time in his international career, the first being six years ago. “It was a very disappointing result for us. The boys were devastated after the game. We came here wanting to put in a good performance, but New Zealand were strong and punished our mistakes. We have to take responsibility as a team. We know we can do better, we have to show it.”The fixture will mark the first international football match at the newly opened One New Zealand Stadium, a 25,000-seater, fully roofed venue in Christchurch.
