India captain Suryakumar Yadav on Saturday played down Mitchell Santner’s remark about silencing the home crowd ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final, saying such statements become predictable before big matches.
New Zealand captain Santner said his team will try to quiet down the packed Indian crowd when they take on the hosts in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. His comments echoed similar talk ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup final at the same venue where Australia defeated India.
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“The aim is to silence the crowd. There are many variables in T20 cricket and it is fickle at times,” the 34-year-old said. “If we go out about our business in the same way, we can upset another big team. There is obviously a lot of pressure (on India) to win the World Cup at home.”
When asked about Santner’s remarks, Suryakumar responded with a tongue-in-cheek comment. “Everyone is saying the same thing. They should try something new,” Suryakumar Yadav told reporters.
He said the Indian camp was relishing the opportunity to play the World Cup final at home and described the mood in the dressing room as positive.
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“It’s a special feeling. And everyone is very excited. We have a very good atmosphere in the group. We are looking forward to the big final,” he said.
New Zealand reached the final after a commanding nine-wicket win over South Africa in the semi-final and are aiming for their first T20 World Cup title.
Santner said his team will try to stick to their processes despite the scale of the opportunity.
“We’re pretty consistent because we try not to get caught out by the situation or the opponent. We just go out there and do our thing,” Santner told reporters on Saturday.
He admitted New Zealand would not start as favourites, but said his side were happy with the label.
“It’s going to be a reverse challenge where everyone knows we’re probably not the favorites. But we don’t mind. We know we can do the little things well and put in a strong team performance.”
“That would put us in a pretty good position to hopefully lift the trophy. I wouldn’t mind breaking a few hearts to lift the trophy.”
Santner also said the pressure will be largely on India, who are aiming to defend their title in front of more than 100,000 spectators expected at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
07 March 2026 18:37 IST
