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Mitchell Santner
New Zealand may have lost to India in the group stage of the Champions Trophy in Dubai, but their captain Mitchell Santner believes that putting Rohit Sharma's side under pressure in that encounter gave his team the confidence for their upcoming summit clash on Sunday. New Zealand beat South Africa by 50 runs in the second semifinal here on Wednesday to set up a final clash with India in Dubai on Sunday. India had beaten Australia by four wickets in the first semifinal on Tuesday. Asked about their group stage loss to India in Dubai, Santner said, "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 said at the post-match press conference. 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.
All-rounder Michael Bracewell picking up wickets in the middle phase of the game with his slow bowling was key to New Zealand's five-wicket victory in their Champions Trophy match against Bangladesh here on Monday, believed skipper Mitchell Santner. The positive result for New Zealand ensured their semifinals berth in the tournament along with India, while knocking out hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh from the mega event. Rachin Ravindra (112) and Michael Bracewell (4/26) were the two stars for New Zealand on the night. "Feels nice to qualify. Knew Bangladesh would be a challenge," Santner said in the post-match presentation ceremony. "The way we pulled things back with the ball was amazing. Hard to take middle-overs wickets in ODIs and Bracewell was amazing. He's a quality bowler now, the way he can change his pace on these wickets is outstanding. Bowls a lot to right-handers too," the captain added. He was also effusive in his praise for Ravindra who anchored the chase of 237 after
New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner feels assessing the conditions in Dharamsala and countering an in-form Rohit Sharma will be vital as they eye the "tough" task of beating India at home during their World cup clash on Sunday. New Zealand have done well to adapt to the different conditions in the World Cup. The Black Caps, who have won all four of their games in the tournament so far, have played in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Chennai. They will now fly to Dharamsala for the much-anticipated game against India, who are on a three-match winning streak. "We know they're going to obviously be a challenge at home. They look pretty tough to beat. We'll have to do our assessment in Dharamsala - see what the wicket's going to do. "There has been a little pace and bounce. But whether that is the case when we play them, we'll see," Santner said after New Zealand's 149-run win over Afghanistan on Wednesday. Rohit has looked in imperious form at the top, playing brilliant knocks of 86 against
It's not just "pitched" battle on 22 yards that fans care about these days but equally important is the virtual presence, where New Zealand Cricket's social media team grabbed eyeballs with its unique concept of announcing the team for the upcoming World Cup. "Our 2023 @cricketworldcup squad introduced by their number 1 fans!" BlackCaps captioned the video posted on 'X' (formerly twitter), where family members of the New Zealand players introduced their dear ones with jersey number. Among the run of the mill content that one comes across in the name of social media battles, the video comes across as cute, warm and sincere, where Kane Williamson's family, Trent Boult's sons, Rachin Ravindra's parents and Jimmy Neesham's grandmother. The Kiwi side will once again be led by Kane Williamson, who has struggled with a ruptured ACL since March this year and remains doubtful for the tournament openers against defending champion England. The side finished as the runner-up during the last ..