AHMEDABAD: Mitchell Santner says New Zealand would not mind “breaking a few hearts” when they face defending champions and hosts India national cricket team in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Sunday.
Speaking ahead of the title clash in Ahmedabad, the New Zealand captain acknowledged that his side will enter the match as underdogs but said the team is eager to seize the opportunity to lift the trophy.
More than 100,000 fans are expected to pack the Narendra Modi Stadium for the high-stakes final.
New Zealand reached the final of the tournament in 2021 but lost to Australia national cricket team and are still chasing their first white-ball World Cup title.
“I wouldn’t mind winning a trophy,” Santner said. “Everyone knows we’re probably not the favourites, but I wouldn’t mind breaking a few hearts to lift the trophy for once.”
New Zealand’s campaign in the tournament has been mixed. They delivered a dominant performance in the semi-final, thrashing South Africa national cricket team by nine wickets after Finn Allen smashed the fastest century of the competition.
However, the Black Caps also suffered defeats to South Africa and England national cricket team earlier in the tournament.
Santner pointed to the unpredictable nature of T20 cricket, saying one strong performance can turn the tide. “We saw South Africa playing very good cricket throughout, but they had one hiccup against us and were out,” he noted.
Meanwhile, India come into the final in formidable form with three consecutive wins and are aiming to become the first team to win back-to-back T20 World Cups as well as the first to lift the title on home soil. A victory would also give them a record third T20 World Cup triumph.
Santner admitted that playing before a packed stadium and millions watching worldwide could put extra pressure on the hosts.
“With such huge expectations, there’s always added pressure,” he said. “If we can go out there and apply that pressure on them, we’ll see what happens.”
