India’s Jasprit Bumrah (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) AHMEDABAD: For a nation of just 5.3 million people – smaller than many of the world’s major cities – New Zealand’s rise in cricket over the past decade has been remarkable. The Black Caps have reached eight major ICC finals, including the 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cups, the 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. They also lifted the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021 and reached the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup.Their women’s team are the reigning champions of the T20 World Cup 2024, while the men’s side are now on the verge of their first T20 title when they take on India in the T20 World Cup final here on Sunday night.
India departs from Mumbai to Ahmedabad | Team India is heading into the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand
New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips on Friday highlighted the contrast between the two cricketing nations. With India’s population exceeding 1.4 billion, Phillips noted the depth of talent available to the hosts, suggesting they could easily field three contending sides at the T20 World Cup. In contrast, New Zealand has to rely on a much smaller talent pool.“Obviously we have a little bit less people to choose from in our country, which means our high-performance programs have to be very specific and tailored to the population we have,” Phillips said ahead of the training in New Zealand. “But the talent that’s coming out of India is phenomenal. They could probably pick three sides to compete equally well in this World Cup. So it’s fantastic for us to be competing against teams around the world with such a small population.”Phillips, meanwhile, refused to discount India’s out-of-form all-rounder Varun Chakravarthy, who conceded 64 runs in four overs in Thursday’s semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium. “We’ve played him a few times before, which helps,” Phillips said. “We’re just going to try to take it one ball at a time. He’s allowed to have a good day, but we’re allowed to have a good day, too.”“Bumrah is human too”Phillips also acknowledged the threat posed by pacer Jasprit Bumrah, whose spells have proved decisive in the hosts’ last two matches. “We had a really good trip against him in a back-to-back series, but he’s a top-class pitcher,” Phillips said. “Bumrah has so much variation and hits the hole at the death incredibly well. But he’s also human.”
