The day before a final is stifling for the competing teams. With one match to separate success and failure, the stakes are high. And if it's the T20 World Cup final, the tension can peak. The Indian cricket team, going by their performance over the last two years, seems to be the favourite in the title clash. But New Zealand are no pushovers. Against England in the semi-final, India smashed their way to 253/7 at the Wankhede Stadium, but New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner's idea is to restrict them to 220 if they want to make a match of it.
"And at the end of the day, if it's going to be flat like it was the other night, trying to restrict India to 220 instead of 250 might give us a good chance," the skipper said.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked about Mitchell Santner's statement on restricting India below 250. Suryakumar's reply was full of banter.
"Jhooth bol raha hai (he's lying). We will try to bat well. If we score 225 or 250, it will be good. But sometimes the wicket is different, and we have to play differently. We don't predict from the dressing room that we have to score so much. Whatever the pitch demands, we have to play that way," he said.
Addressing the media on the eve of the summit clash, New Zealand captain Santner said that India, playing in front of their home crowd, will face immense pressure to retain the title. "That's the goal - to silence the crowd - but there are a lot of challenges in cricket, and they are variable. I think there is a lot of pressure on India to win at home," Santner said during the pre-match press conference.
"I am pretty excited. We have played here before. There are no secrets to it. The boys are buzzing for tomorrow. It is a one-game shootout. The boys are excited," he said.
Santner's statement was reminiscent of Pat Cummins' comment before the 2023 World Cup final, which was also played at the same venue. India lost that match under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. Suryakumar cheekily took aim at both while replying to Santner's remark.
"Sab hi same line chipka rahe hai. Kuch toh naya bolo (Everyone is now saying the same thing. Come up with something new)," Suryakumar told reporters on Saturday
TOPICS MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
India Cricket Team
New Zealand Cricket Team
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