New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner issued a rallying cry to the Blackcaps supporters back home ahead of the T20 World Cup final against India in Ahmedabad on Sunday. New Zealand will be heading into the contest aiming to win their first T20 World Cup title. This is the fifth ICC white-ball event final the Blackcaps have reached since 2015, failing to win a single one.
India vs New Zealand, T20 World Cup Final: Preview | Updates
With the crowd inside the Narendra Modi stadium expected to be one-sided, Santner decided to send a message to the fans back home on Sunday. Taking to X, the New Zealand skipper said that the team will be outnumbered in Ahmedabad in terms of support, but he was confident that the fans would have their back during the game.
“KIA ORA AOTEAROA BLACKCAPS captain Mitch Santner here. Sorry to disturb you on a Sunday. Now, I’m not really one for big speeches or rallying cries. But I did want to remind you all about our ICC T20 World Cup Final against India in Ahmedabad on Monday morning (2.30am NZT).”
“It’s fair to say we’re a bit outnumbered over here – 1.4 billion team India fans and all that. And I’m pretty sure most of the 130,000 seat Narendra Modi Stadium will be cheering for them too. But that’s all good – because we know back home you’ll have our backs,” said Santner.
By the time the final starts in Ahmedabad, it will be 2:30 am on Monday back in New Zealand. Santner said that he understands that it will be tough for the fans but told them to get around the team one more time. The New Zealand skipper also said that the fans could tell their bosses and teachers to excuse them for being late the next day for work and school by telling his name.
“Although you’re not with us – we see the photos, the posts, we hear the stories, and we know about the late nights & early starts. We feel your aroha. We get it – the final is super early Monday morning. But set your alarm and get around us one more time. And if you’re bit late to work or school, please pass on my message to your boss or teachers. Cheers Aotearoa – we’ll be home soon – hopefully with some extra luggage,” said Santner.
NEW ZEALAND AIMING TO SILENCE AHMEDABAD
Speaking ahead of the game in Ahmedabad, Santner said that New Zealand will aim to silence the crowd inside the Narendra Modi Stadium in a bid to win the title.
“Yeah, I guess that’s the goal. To silence the crowd, but I think that there are a lot of variables in T20 cricket, and it is fickle at times. And 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,” said Santner.
New Zealand hold a 3-0 lead against India in T20 World Cup matches and will be upbeat after their performance against South Africa in the semifinal.
T20 World Cup | T20 World Cup Schedule | T20 World Cup Points Table | T20 World Cup Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
