“There’s nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent.” Pat Cummins uttered these famous words on the eve of the 2023 ODI World Cup final. The rest is history. 3 years later, India returned to the same venue for another ICC final. Much like then, the Men in Blue are favourites. The opposition is different, but the sentiment remains the same.
Santner wants to silence Ahmedabad
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner knows his team is the underdog, just like Australia was in 2023. And he, much like Cummins, has applied the same tactics. Santner, too, wants to ‘silence the crowd’ on March 8.
“Yeah, I guess that’s the goal, isn’t it? To silence the crowd. I think that there are a lot of variables in T20 cricket, and it is fickle at times. We’ve seen throughout the whole World Cup that a lot of teams are on similar pages, and it comes down to some little moments in every game that change the outcome. So I think England was very close to chasing that the other night; we’ve seen South Africa playing very good cricket all the way through, and then I guess had a little hiccup against us and you’re out,” Santner told reporters in Ahmedabad on the eve of the T20 World Cup final.
Pressure on India
The all-rounder knows India will be under pressure. They are the favourites to win and are playing at the venue where they have a big final before. Suryakumar Yadav‘s team has a lot to lose, which means they’ll be under the pump.
“If we go about our business the same way, we can upset another big team, and I think there’s obviously a lot of pressure on India to win this World Cup at home. It would be pretty cool to win a home World Cup, so I think that comes with a lot of added pressure as well. If we can go out there and try to put the added pressure on them and see what happens,” Santner added.
Consistency is king
The 34-year-old knows New Zealand has time and again managed to be at the business end of the tournament. Santner credited that to their ability to perform at their optimum level irrespective of opponent or conditions. And would like to get over the final hurdle and lift the trophy this time around.
“I wouldn’t mind winning a trophy. We are pretty consistent in these tournaments because we try not to get overruled by the situation or opponents; we just go out there and do our thing as a unit. It’s been no different this time. Everyone knows we’re probably not the favourites. But we don’t mind. We know if we do our little things well and put in a strong team performance, we will be in a pretty good position to lift the trophy. But yeah, I wouldn’t mind breaking a few hearts to lift the trophy for once,” said Santner.
Lastly, the New Zealand captain knows the small things matter in a volatile format like T20Is. A misfield or spectacular catch can change the outcome of the match. To be consistent with fielding and tactics matters, because at one time or another, they’ll take you across the line.
“It’s easy to say it’s just another game, but everyone knows it’s not. I think the way you go about it has to be the same, whether it’s your preparation or what that looks like on the day leading up to the game. It always comes down to a couple of moments, especially in T20 cricket, where you can squeeze the opposition or take the advantage. I think we saw it the other night.
I don’t know; it always comes down to fielding at some stage. You can be very consistent in the way you approach the game, bearing a couple of moments where you could potentially be a little bit more ruthless. I don’t think you have to reinvent the wheel. It’s just you’re making a final; you’re coming up against another team who’s also playing some pretty good cricket, so it’s never that easy,” Santner concluded.
