Having already lost their One Day International series to India, the Black Caps only have pride to play for in the final two matches, batsman Ross Taylor says.
After losing the opening two ODIs in both Napier and Mount Maunganui, the Black Caps again fell short against the tourists at Bay Oval last night, defeated by seven wickets to hand India an unassailable 3-0 series lead.
And with two matches in both Hamilton and Wellington to be played, the prospect of a 5-0 whitewash is becoming more and more of a risk with each completed over.
Speaking to media last night, though, Taylor promised that the Black Caps will continue to fight to give the fans some hope heading into this year's World Cup in England.
"Even though the series is gone, there's still a lot of pride in the team in playing for New Zealand," Taylor said.
"Obviously [the] World Cup is not far away, [there's] still combinations to sort out.
"It's tough, but we have to get on - it's professional sport. Hopefully we can bounce back in the last two games."
Taylor also insisted that the side won't struggle to find motivation, with the prospect of a series whitewash - something that was almost unthinkable at the start of the summer - an all too real prospect.
"It's pretty easy, you're proud of playing for your nation.
"Obviously 3-0 is pretty tough to swallow, but at the same time, we get another opportunity in a couple of days time.
"We need to play a lot better in all facets of the game, but hopefully we can get a bit of pride back in those last two matches."
The Black Caps' fourth ODI against India begins on Thursday at Hamilton's Seddon Park.
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