Taking stock of the exciting semi-final against England, the only worry to emerge for India was Varun Chakaravarthy’s performance. The mystery spinner was targeted and taken for 64 runs by England batters. But Santner does not think it is an enduring problem for India and the bowler was only, “one game away from turning the tide.”
While it may be difficult for New Zealand to switch off the noise surrounding their opponents, considering they are set to play India in such a showpiece match in India, Santner believes they have to be the masters of their fate if they are finally to end the title wait in white-ball World Cups.
“The mindset’s the same,” he said. “It’s easy to say it’s just another game, but everyone knows it’s probably not. But the way to go about it has to be the same, the preparation has to be the same. It always comes down to a couple of moments, especially in T20 cricket.”
In their head-to-head clashes, history may favour New Zealand but form is with India. The Black Caps have not lost a match to India in T20 World Cup, having scored victories in 2007, 2016 and 2021. However, the host nation were dominant in their recent T20I series in India, with a comfortable 4-1 win.
