Mitchell Santner, the captain of New Zealand, acknowledged India’s home advantage in Dubai but maintained his belief that his team is ready for the March 9 Champions Trophy final matchup. On Thursday night, the Black Caps arrived in Dubai, preparing for their title matchup with the hosts.
Santner acknowledged that the home team might benefit from the conditions because all of India’s tournament matches are held in Dubai. He did, however, stress that New Zealand is prepared to adjust to the difficulties presented by the slow pitch. “They’ve played all their games here in Dubai and know that surface. Obviously, the surface will dictate a little bit of how we want to operate. It might be a little bit slower than what we got in Lahore. It might be more of a scrap, but we’re down to scrap,” Santner said upon arrival in Dubai.
In a match that had no influence on the knockout stages, New Zealand lost to India by 44 runs in the group stage. Santner thinks experience will aid his team in the final, even though they lost. “We’ve come against a good side. I think we’ll be better for the run we had the other day against them. We’ve had a bit of a roll on. Hopefully, it continues,” the left-arm spinner stated.
Travel has been a major part of New Zealand’s Champions Trophy campaign; the team has been flying back and forth between Pakistan and Dubai for their final group match, semi-final, and now final. Santner, however, dismissed any worries regarding exhaustion, claiming that the group has successfully adjusted to the tournament’s requirements.
“It’s just the general feel of this tournament, moving around a lot. It’s all part of the challenge. I think we’ve been to every place here. Obviously, in Pakistan and Dubai. I think the guys understand it’s part of it these days. As long as you’re ready to go for the game, it’s fine,” he added.
The stage is set for an exciting Champions Trophy final in Dubai, with India in dominant form and New Zealand committed to fighting to the very end. India overcame Australia by four wickets, while the Kiwis defeated South Africa handily to advance to the final.
