Former South Africa pace great Dale Steyn suggested that New Zealand might deserve the tag more than the Proteas.
“Everyone likes to call South Africa chokers,” Steyn said during a discussion with his former teammate AB de Villiers.
“But New Zealand haven’t won many World Cups themselves, and they have been in more finals than we have. So please (New Zealand) go on to win this. Otherwise, I am formally handing over that card to you.”
Former South Africa captain De Villiers also questioned New Zealand’s ability to win the biggest games, recalling their defeat to Australia in the 2015 Cricket World Cup final.
“I hate New Zealand for that. In 2015, they were never going to beat Australia in that final,” he stated.
Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner admitted he would relish the chance to finally turn consistency into silverware.
“I wouldn’t mind winning a trophy,” Santner said at the pre-final press conference on Saturday.
“We are pretty consistent in these tournaments because we try not to get overawed by the situation or opponents. We just go out there and do our thing. It’s been no different this time.”
Santner noted that his team is unbothered by being underdogs, citing India’s last 50-over World Cup final against Australia and suggesting they aim to “silence the crowd,” as Cummins and his teammates did.
“Everyone knows we are not the favourites, but we don’t mind. We know if we do the small things well and put in a strong team performance, then we will be in a pretty good position. I wouldn’t mind breaking a few hearts to lift the trophy for once.”
They defeated an in-form South Africa in the first semi-final at Eden Gardens in the City of Joy, Kolkata.
In a superb all-round display, Matt Henry (2/34), Cole McConchie (2/9), and Rachin Ravindra (2/29) limited the Proteas to 169/8.
Openers Finn Allen (100*) and Tim Seifert (58) then dominated the chase, securing a nine-wicket win. The towering Allen delivered a stunning unbeaten century off just 33 balls, while Tim Seifert struck a quickfire half century as the Black Caps cruised to an effortless victory with 43 balls to spare.
India, meanwhile, stormed into the final after edging past England in the second semi-final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The hosts piled up a mammoth 253/7, powered by a blistering 89 from opener Sanju Samson, before restricting Harry Brook’s side to seal their place in the summit clash.
Hours after Santner’s presser, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav addressed the media personnel, and when asked about his counterpart’s statement, he came up with a savage reaction.
“Everyone is saying the same thing. Please ask to say something new at least,” Suryakumar batted straight at the press conference.
Lately, Samson has been in dazzling form, scoring back-to-back half-centuries against the West Indies and England, providing vital stability at the top of the order.
Suryakumar praised Samson’s work ethic, saying that the right-handed batter trained hard even when he was not part of the playing XI.
“I saw how hard he worked when he was not playing. That was also very important. I think it’s the reward for how he has worked hard, even when he did not get the chances,” he stated.
Overall, Samson has represented India in 61 T20Is, scoring 1,310 runs in 53 innings at a strike rate of 154.84 and an average of 27.29, including three centuries and five half-centuries.
The Indian skipper also believes the team atmosphere has been a key factor in their run to the grand finale.
“I feel a good and happy team atmosphere is key. If you want to see players happy on the ground, what you do in the dressing room is very important. Giving them freedom in the dressing room is very important,” he explained.
“Being a captain is just a position. You need to ask every player what they want and then we can be on the same page together.”
Suryakumar remembered former T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma for shaping his leadership approach.
“It is the same shoes, just different footsteps. It was not difficult. When we left, I learned a lot of things from him. I followed the same strategy and tried to implement some new things. Hopefully it goes really well tomorrow also.”
India’s bowling attack has been spearheaded by mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who leads the team’s wicket charts with 13 scalps, while pace ace Jasprit Bumrah has claimed 10 wickets.
As for the head-to-head count, history offers New Zealand encouragement. The Black Caps remain unbeaten against India in T20 World Cup meetings, winning their clashes in 2007, 2016, and 2021.
India, however, hold the edge in recent form and home conditions. They have won seven of their 10 T20 Internationals in Ahmedabad, and dominated a recent bilateral series against New Zealand 4–1.
The final will be played on a “mixed soil” pitch, not too different from the one used in the semi-final in Mumbai. The pitch is expected to be a mixed red-and-black soil surface, likely to offer good bounce and favour stroke play, with a par score around 200, Indian media reports said.
That sets the stage for a thrilling finale where one team will seize glory, and the other may once again be haunted by cricket’s most unforgiving label
