Mitchell Santner admits fear of Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy before T20 World Cup final

The Mitchell Santner-led New Zealand national cricket team is fully ready to face the mighty India national cricket team on Sunday, March 8, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Both teams have played fearless cricket in the tournament, but the final brings a completely different level of pressure.

And New Zealand is fully aware that they will have to produce their best performance to stop a confident Indian side on home soil in the title clash in Ahmedabad – the same venue for the 2023 ODI World Cup final, where Australia broke Indian hearts with the historic title glory.

Mitchell Santner admits the T20 World Cup 2026 final challenge and pressure

Mitchell Santner is fully aware of the huge challenge waiting for his team in the T20 World Cup 2026 final. The New Zealand skipper expects a good batting pitch for the title clash, which could turn the final into a high-scoring battle. But he also knows that India’s bowling attack can change the match at any moment, especially with their biggest match-winner leading the pace attack.

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Mitchell Santner admitted that India’s star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is the kind of player every team worries about before a big match. The Kiwi camp has already spent a lot of time discussing how to handle his deadly spells because he has the ability to change the game in just a few balls.

Mitchell Santner said at the pre-match press conference in Ahmedabad: One can assume pitch could be flat. Jasprit Bumrah will be a part of every team's conversation. England looked pretty hard to hit, but he's a game changer.”

Varun Chakravarthy on New Zealand’s radar

The New Zealand captain also kept a close eye on India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who has troubled many batters in the tournament. Santner believes the spinner can be very dangerous if he finds rhythm, and he could play a huge role in deciding the final.

He added, “Varun is a very good bowler. He's one game away from breaking the tie.” However, Chakravarthy has been expensive in the last four games; still, he will be a big threat to the Kiwis.

Meanwhile, Santner revealed that the Black Caps are studying videos, analyzing strategies, and making sure they stay calm under pressure so they can execute their plans perfectly on the big day.

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The spinner further mentioned, “A lot of different things can happen in a game. You want to be consistent with the approach. Watch the videos, analyze, and execute well out there.”

New Zealand using India series experience for final preparation

Additionally, New Zealand are carrying important lessons from their recent bilateral tour of India. That series gave them experience of playing in Indian conditions and on different types of pitches. But they lost the T20I series 1-4 to India.

However, Santner admitted that a World Cup final is a completely different stage, where even small moments can decide who lifts the trophy. Santner signed off by saying, “We were challenged in the bilateral series. We played on five very good surfaces. It's all learning. Good conversation from that series. The World Cup final is pretty much different.”