AHMEDABAD: New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner on Saturday said his team would not hesitate to “break a few hearts” if it means defeating hosts and defending champions India national cricket team in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
New Zealand will face India in the title clash on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where more than 100,000 home fans are expected to attend the match.
Santner said lifting the trophy would be a historic achievement for New Zealand, which reached the final in 2021 but lost to Australia national cricket team.
“I wouldn’t mind winning a trophy,” Santner said, acknowledging that his side enters the final as underdogs.
“Everyone knows we’re probably not the favourites, but I wouldn’t mind breaking a few hearts to lift the trophy for once,” he added.
New Zealand delivered an impressive performance in the semi-final by defeating South Africa national cricket team by nine wickets. Opening batter Finn Allen scored the fastest century of the tournament during the match.
However, the team had mixed results earlier in the competition, suffering defeats against South Africa and England national cricket team.
India, currently ranked number one in T20 cricket, head into the final with strong momentum after registering three consecutive victories in the tournament.
Santner also recalled how Pat Cummins led Australia to victory against India in the final of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup at the same venue.
“I guess the goal is to silence the crowd,” Santner said, adding that the unpredictable nature of T20 cricket gives his side confidence.
He noted that tournament favourites can sometimes falter under pressure, citing South Africa’s exit after an otherwise strong campaign.
India are aiming to become the first team to win back-to-back T20 World Cup titles and the first to secure the trophy on home soil. A victory would also make them the first side to win the tournament three times.
Santner said the expectations of a packed stadium and millions of viewers could create additional pressure on the host team.
“That comes with a lot of added pressure as well. If we can put that pressure back on them, we’ll see what happens,” he said.