3 min readMar 7, 2026 06:17 PM IST
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner wants to emulate Australia counterpart Pat Cummins on Sunday and defeat India at Ahmedabad to clinch the T20 World Cup, the same way the Aussies had silenced the stadium back in November 19, 2023 to claim the ODI World Cup.
“We just go out there and do our thing as a unit. It’s been no different this time. And again, it’s going to be obviously a challenge where everyone knows we’re probably not the favourites. But we don’t mind. But yeah, I wouldn’t mind breaking a few hearts to lift the trophy for once,” Santner said in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
“It’s easy to say it’s just another game, but everyone knows it’s probably not. The way you go about it has to be the same, whether it’s your preparation, what that looks like on the day, leading up to the game,” he added.
The New Zealand skipper also praised India’s Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy. “Bumrah, yeah, I think he should be in everyone’s conversation, the way he has been going. Against England, he looked pretty hard to hit. And he was obviously the game changer for India the other night,” Santner said when asked about what kind of conversations the think-tank is having with regard to Bumrah.
“We knew that was (Bumrah performing) always going to be the case. He’s obviously a world-class bowler. But, you know, not just him, everyone has stepped up at different times. And as a team, that’s where you want to be,” the Black Caps skipper said.
Chakaravarthy, meanwhile, hasn’t been his best but Santner feels it could be the big finale where the Tamil Nadu man might rediscover his mystery.
“We have all seen how good he is. And I think the challenge for any bowler is when pitch is flat compared to how it looks like when it’s spinning or seaming. But when it is flat, I think, everyone can go for 60 on such a day. I think he’s got to know that he is still a very good bowler. You should know that you are only one game away from changing the tide,” he said.
