New Zealand hope to break hearts when they face India in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad. The match will be the Black Caps’ fifth white-ball final in the past 11 years. New Zealand have lost their three World Cup finals before, and also lost the meeting with India at the Champions Trophy a year ago.
“I wouldn’t mind breaking a few hearts and lifting a trophy for once,” said captain Mitchell Santner. A crowd of around 100,000 is expected at the Narendra Modi stadium, plus more than a billion watching at home, with almost all supporting India.
Black Caps Consistent Approach
Santner said his side are consistent in tournaments because they try not to get overawed by the situation or opponents. He added that they just go there and do their thing as a unit.
Santner admitted his side will not be favourites but believes they can beat India in a final in their own back yard.
Drawing Inspiration From Australia
Santner’s men do not have to look far for inspiration. The venue for this final is the same as the showpiece of the 2023 50-over World Cup, when Australia stunned previously unbeaten India to take the title. Under the weight of expectation, India were tentative with the bat and dismissed for 240 before Travis Head’s century powered Australia to a rapid victory.
“There’s obviously a lot of pressure on India to win this World Cup at home,” Santner said. “We can go out there and try and put that added pressure on them and see what happens.”
India’s Perspective
India captain Suryakumar Yadav said he did not feel the need to discuss the 2023 defeat with the team. “We have been preparing for this stage really well,” he said. “It started two years back and the circle has come to the same stadium in that we left in 2023.
“Hopefully we play some good cricket, be courageous in tough situations. That is the simple message to the team.”
Aware of India’s Batting Prowess
New Zealand are well aware of the strength of India’s batting order. They lost 4-1 in a T20 series before this World Cup, with their hosts scoring more than 200 in three of the five matches. India chased 154 in 10 overs in one of the others.
The semi-final against England showed the importance of taking wickets if you are to have any hope of limiting India.
New Zealand won the ICC KnockOut in 2000 but have never won a men’s white-ball World Cup.