IND vs NZ | Didn't want to use jet lag as an excuse, reveals Virat Kohli

A long tour such as this - which involves 5 T20Is, 3 ODIs and 2 Tests - usually sees the visiting team arrive a couple of weeks early, get acclimatized to the conditions and maybe even play a warm-up match or two before the series gets underway. But for India, that was not the case. The team had no less than five days between the third ODI against the Aussies and the first T20I versus New Zealand and landed in Kiwi land just two days prior to the first match.

Whilst it did seem initially like the players were jetlagged - thanks to the horrendous start with the ball - team India, led by skipper Virat Kohli, eventually settled into the contest and thumped the hosts by six wickets, chasing 204 to go 1-0 up in the series. Speaking on the back of the win, the Indian skipper revealed that he did not want him or his players using any external factor as an excuse, and wanted to send out a statement in the very first match of the series. 

"We enjoyed it. Just landing two days ago and playing a game like this sets it up for the whole tour. We never spoke of jet lag. We don't want to use as an excuse," Kohli said in the post-match presentation, reported ESPN Cricinfo.

"If we focus on things that aren't important then you're taking attention away. We had a really good series against Australia and we took that confidence in here," he added.

On a flat Eden Park wicket, the Kiwis got off to a flyer, racing off to 73/0 in the first 7 overs, taking a liking to every single Indian bowler. But thanks to fairly economical spells from Yuzvendra Chahal and Shivam Dube, the Men in Blue restricted the hosts to 204, and skipper Kohli expressed his satisfaction in the bowlers doing so on a nightmare-ish wicket. The 31-year-old, however, felt that the team could improve their fielding, with overthrows and sloppy efforts in the outfield costing the team 10-15 extra runs.

"You can't be harsh on anyone on this kind of pitch. I think we did well in the middle overs, to restrict them under 210 was a good effort. I think fielding is one thing that we can improve on, just getting used to the ground dimensions and the ball snaking a bit."

The second of the five T20Is will be played at the very same venue on Sunday, January 26.