New Zealand cricket team in action. (FILE photo)
With their record being 3-0 against India in T20 World Cup history, New Zealand have been one team which has given India a run for their money in T20 World Cups. While India won the bilateral series prior to the T20 World Cup this year by 4-1, the Black Caps have never lost a T20 World Cup match against India starting the 2007 T20 World Cup. Both the teams have met three times in the T20 World Cup with New Zealand scoring wins over India in the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and 2021 T20 World Cup. With the two teams facing each other in the T20 World Cup final at Ahmedabad on Sunday evening, Former Australian wicket-keeper batsman Brad Haddin believes that New Zealand is one team which India wouldn’t have wanted to play in the final and the Kiwis don’t fear India in home conditions. Haadin put his money on Finn Allen, who scored a century against South Africa in the semi-final, to ruin India’s party in home conditions.
“If he (Finn Allen) gets going in the final, he is one player who can ruin India’s party on their home soil. If I was India coming into the tournament, the one team I wouldn’t have wanted to play in the final is New Zealand. New Zealand don’t fear India in home conditions. They’ve beaten them in a Test series here. So if they can go in with that mindset and Fin Allen can play with that freedom as he has, they can put some real pressure on India. I am going with New Zealand,” Haddin said on Willow Talk Cricket Podcast.
India and New Zealand have faced each other in the finals in ICC tournaments thrice. The first time the two teams faced each other in an ICC tournament final was in 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy in Nairobi, where the Kiwi scored a four-wicket win over India to win the title. The second time the two nations faced each other in an ICC final was in the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final, where New Zealand scored an eight-wicket win over India to deny Indian the title. The last time India and New Zealand faced each other in an ICC final was in the 2025 Champions Trophy, where India scored a four wicket win over New Zealand to claim the title. Haddin’s former team-mate and Australia spinner Nathan Lyon rated New Zealand as the favourites to win Sunday’s final and shared how he sees New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner as the key player in the final. “I am going to go with New Zealand in the final. The biggest key for India is the way they play Mitchell Santner. He is the captain on the side and has been very economical, especially on these pitches,” Lyon said on the podcast.
New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips had spoken about his team being David against Goliath in the form of India. Interacting with media at Ahmedabad on Friday, Phillips spoke about how the team will try to adapt to the conditions at the Ahmedabad stadium. “We are never given a chance to usually even be in the semifinals, and we are always there. So we are always David. I think it is an entertaining brand of cricket, and the pitches at different stadiums play each time differently. So whatever we see tomorrow, we will try to adapt to it. And if that means lots of runs, then that means lots of runs. But if it means that it is going to be a little bit of a scrap, we are up for that as well,” Phillips told the media on Friday.
