‘We’ve had a go at India before’: Mitchell Santner throws down gauntlet ahead of Champions Trophy final

New Zealand will be facing India once again in the 2025 Champions Trophy but while the last fixture was essentially a dead rubber, this will be the one that decides the title itself. The Kiwis were dominant in all the matches they played in Pakistan and were arguably the side that put Rohit Sharma’s men under pressure the most in the games that were played in Dubai. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said that they are taking motivation from that earlier performance.

“Being there in Dubai and putting India under pressure gave us confidence. You take in what things work and what doesn’t. I think the bowlers bowled well to chip wickets at the top. I think winning the toss will be nice as well,” Santner told reporters after New Zealand’s 50-run win over South Africa in the semi-final.

India had beaten New Zealand by 44 runs in their last group match on March 2 in Dubai. “It’s a cool feeling to make the final. We were challenged by a good side. We’ve had a go against India, look forward to do it again,” he said.

‘Williamson keeps doing it’

Encouragingly for New Zealand, their batting great Kane Williamson scored 81 against India in that game. Williamson followed that up with a masterful 102 off 94 balls against South Africa in the semi-final. His 164-run stand for the second wicket with Rachin Ravindra, which came in just 154 balls, was central to New Zealand’s dominance in Lahore. Moreover for New Zealand, Ravindra is in ace form, smashing 108 off 101 balls and taking a wicket against South Africa.

“Williamson keeps doing it. That partnership was massive, might’ve been frustrated a touch at times, but they flipped the switch earlier and got us to 360. Looking back, 320 might not have been enough,” said Santner.