Sports
New Zealand versus India How a tiny nation in the southern Pacific consistently outperforms its peers in sports
By Kajal Sharma - 04 Nov 2024 10:58 PM
Despite having a small pool of talent, the nation manages to maximize its resources through careful funding, strategic planning, and first-rate coaching.According to a comedian in a tourist film with former prime minister Jacinda Ardern, it's like a worm in the Tasman Sea or a half-eaten mutton chop in the Pacific. The nation where the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed, and the creators of the egg beater. New Zealand may surprise and confound.There are five million people living in this nation, which has an area of one lakh square miles. Its area is about the same as Uttar Pradesh's, and its population is one-fourth that of Mumbai.However, for many years, their stature and power have not stopped them from succeeding in sports. Its cricket team sent India, a nation of 148 million people, as head coach Gautam Gambhir often claims, to its first series defeat at home on Sunday. It had already defeated them to win the mace for the World Test Championship.
New Zealand is the side with the most semi-final appearances in 50-over World Cups. All of them have one lakh registered cricket players in their talent pool. There are four times as many in England, Australia, and India.This is a quintessential example of athletic uniqueness. Or "New Zealand doing New Zealand things," as Daryll Mitchell phrased it. The county's level of achievement in many sports is drastically out of proportion to its population. With 80% of their games won this century, the All Blacks are without a doubt the dominant force in rugby union.SportsCricket NewsIndia vs. New Zealand: How a tiny southern Pacific nation consistently outperforms its peers in sports India vs. New Zealand: How a tiny southern Pacific nation consistently outperforms its peers in sports Despite having a small pool of talent, the nation manages to maximize its resources through careful funding, strategic planning, and first-rate coaching.