One of the tweaks they made after the South Africa loss was bringing back Sanju Samson as an opener. It has helped break the left-handed monotony at the top of the order, with Samson opening the innings with Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan slotting in at three. Samson played match-winning knocks of 97 not out and 89, in the clutch games against West Indies and England respectively.
“In the last bilateral series, we had Ishan, Abhishek and Sanju in the top three and that was very beneficial to the team,” said the India captain.
“Sanju’s inclusion has changed the complexion of the game completely, it was a positive call. When he wasn’t in the playing XI, he did everything to contribute to the team cause and put in a lot of effort behind the scenes. He has reaped the rewards of his hard work in the last two-three innings.”
In Sunday’s final, India will be up against one of the canniest teams in the world. Though New Zealand have not won a world title in limited overs cricket yet, they have been one of the most consistent sides in recent times, reaching five finals in ICC white-ball world tournaments in the last 11 years.
“They have a very tactical side,” admitted Suryakumar. “They come with a good plan. But we also have our plans, we have also been preparing for this big stage. So, we want to focus on what we do, rather than think about them.”
India has never won against the Black Caps in their last three T20 World Cup clashes. However, in the recent bilateral series in India, Yadav’s team emerged 4-1 winners. But a World Cup final, in front of near-100,000 home crowd, is a different challenge, and the India captain believes his team is ready for it.
