Mitchell Santner in action© AFP
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner had no hesitation in admitting that his team lost to a “better” Indian side in the final of the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday. Chasing a target of 252, India completed the pursuit with six balls to spare, thanks to Rohit Sharma’s fluent 76 and excellent bowling by Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy. “It’s been a good tournament. We’ve been challenged along the way, and the way we have grown as a group is commendable. We lost to a better side today. Everyone contributed to the tournament and stepped up at different times,” Santner said at the presentation ceremony.
The New Zealand bowlers fought back well to take the game deep after Rohit and Shubman Gill powered India past 100 in quick time. However, earlier in the match, it was the Indian spinners who stifled the Kiwis after a strong start by Rachin Ravindra.
“It was good bowling. We lost a couple of wickets after the powerplay, and they really tightened the screws. Credit to their spinners for how they bowled. They are world-class bowlers. We were 20 or 25 runs short of where we wanted to be,” Santner said.
Glenn Phillips produced an incredible piece of fielding, sending back Gill with a leaping catch at cover, and Santner was full of praise for his teammate as well as for Rohit.
“That man (Phillips) keeps doing it. The way Rohit and Gill approached their innings was great. Rohit going at almost a run a ball on that wicket was outstanding. We knew the game could change quickly, and that’s exactly what happened.” The New Zealand skipper also heaped praise on opener Ravindra, who once again demonstrated his class with some fine knocks in the tournament, including a century.
“We’ve seen how he steps up in these tournaments. With the ball as well, he stepped up. He understands the game so well at such a young age. He’s got a massive future. Even today, he scored at over a run a ball.” Speaking about leading the team in his first ICC tournament, Santner said, “It has been very enjoyable. The group has made it easy for me. Different guys stepping up at different times makes it smooth. We’ve had a few challenges, but we’ve adapted well. It has been a great tournament.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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