Mitchell Santner Vows To Become Pat Cummins For India, Ahmedabad Silencer Status Taken

Mitchell Santner and Pat Cummins [Source: X.com]

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner spoke confidently ahead of the big final and made it clear that his team is ready to silence the crowd in India. The skipper admitted that the New Zealand are aware that most fans will support the India in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 final. 

The highly anticipated match will be played at the huge Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8.

New Zealand learning from past ICC losses

Over the past few years, New Zealand have come very close to winning major ICC white-ball tournaments but has fallen short at the final stage. 

Since 2019, the team has reached the final of three major tournaments: the 2019 ICC World Cup, the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. Unfortunately for the Black Caps, they ended up losing all three finals.

Because of this history, many fans and experts believe New Zealand have struggled to finish the job in important matches.

Mitchell Santner ready to silence Indian crowd

During the pre-match press conference before the final, a reporter reminded Mitchell Santner about those heartbreaking losses. The journalist also asked whether New Zealand would be ruthless enough to ignore the pressure of a huge Indian crowd and still perform at their best.

However, Mitchell Santner made it clear that his team is not afraid of the challenge. He said New Zealand would not hesitate to play the role of the bad guys if it helps them win the trophy. 

Notably, he indirectly referred to how Pat Cummins and Australia silenced the home crowd during the 2023 World Cup final. According to Mitchell Santner, New Zealand hope to repeat something similar against India. 

“I wouldn't mind winning a trophy. You look at this group and the groups that have been in the past, we are pretty consistent on these because we try not to get overawed by the situation or opponents. We go out there and do our thing. 

And as a unit, it's been no different this time. And again, it's going to be obviously a challenge where everyone knows we're probably not the favourites. But we don't mind,” Santner told reporters.

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Meanwhile, Santner also explained that the team’s main objective would be to focus on playing good-quality cricket rather than worrying too much about the crowd.

"The goal is to silence the crowd. We have seen throughout the world cup it comes down to little moments. England were very close to chasing.. south africa were very good. So if we go about our business the same way, " Mitchell Santner added.

New Zealand's performance in T20 World Cup 2026

It is important to note that New Zealand reached the final after a brilliant performance in the semi-final against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. In that match, explosive opener Finn Allen smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 33 balls. Thanks to his incredible innings, New Zealand comfortably defeated South Africa by nine wickets.

Notably, after the dominant win, the team enters the T20 World Cup 2026 final with strong confidence and momentum. 

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