Ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final match, India captain Suryakumar Yadav and his New Zealand counterpart Mitchell Santner expressed their fascination with the way pressure appears on international stages. To Suryakumar, to compete in a World Cup final on his home soil creates more feelings than just being excited. Despite high expectations of both teams participating in this game, Surya believes there is equal excitement as well as amount of stress associated with the upcoming game. “There’s 50 percent pressure and at the same time a lot of excitement,” Suryakumar said. “But yeah, there are nerves definitely.”
The 35-year-old believes that India’s performance on their way to the final has been due to the collective contributions of all 11 players. Instead of playing outstandingly on individual basis, India has performed well because of solid, quick individual cameos. “There are a lot of moments from game one till we reached the final,” he said. “When we are in the dressing room, we don’t forget those small contributions. That’s what makes this team special and more team-oriented.”
Suryakumar was all praise about the bowling of his pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.“If ICC ever allows someone to bowl six or eight overs, it will be Bumrah,” Surya joked. “He’s definitely a once-in-a-generation bowler… a national treasure.”
During this tournament, Santner has consistently credited New Zealand’s team’s determination and collective effort. The Kiwi skipper said reaching the final, especially considering New Zealand haven’t got much by the way of trophies. “Obviously first things, very proud of this group,” Santner stated. “The boys have been playing some good cricket, and to make it this far, I’m really proud.”
He went on to summarise the Kiwis’ ability to have players contribute throughout the tournament at important times. “Other teams might have more ‘superstars’, but we back our squad. It might not be the runs and wickets, but those little contributions in the field make a big difference.”
Even though India are the favourites on home soil, Santner believes New Zealand will be the underdog in this game and enjoys the challenges that come with that. “It’s fair to say we are underdogs for the final, but we don’t mind it,” he said. “Our job is to try and put India under as much pressure as we can and see what happens.”
