 "Suryakumar Yadav unbothered by defending champions tag as New Zealand opt to bowl in T20 World Cup final: 'It's history now'")
New Zealand have won the toss and opted to bowl first against India in the final of the 2026 T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8. India captain Suryakumar Yadav said he was happy to bat first and also said that the fact that they are defending champions does not matter as it is history now.
LIVE: India vs New Zealand, T20 World Cup 2026 Final
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner was clear that his team wanted to bowl first in the summit clash with the Black Caps also making a big change in their Playing XI.
India vs New Zealand: What captains said?
India captain Suryakumar once again said that he was happy to bat first as it is a big game and putting runs on the board is valuable.
“Happy to bat first since we have been doing that pretty well. Always good to have runs on the board in the semifinal or a final. It’s history now, new World Cup and we are excited for it. It (stadium) looks fully already and it’s only toss time and hopefully we will give them a good show,” the Indian skipper said after losing the toss.
“(Surface) Looks pretty good. We will see if it does anything and try and restrict them to a chasable score,” the Kiwi captain Santner said after the correct call at the toss.
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View AllWhen asked about the crowd which will be totally against them in Ahmedabad, Santner said that New Zealand are relishing the opportunity.
“This is why we are playing. It did. Great occasion, the semifinal and the guys will take confidence from that. This is biggest stage and everyone is ready,” he said.
He also informed that New Zealand had left out off-spinner Cole McConchie and brought in pacer Jacob Duffy for the clash.
India vs New Zealand Playing XI
India Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand Playing XI: Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy
India are looking to become the first team in the history of T20 World Cups to successfully defend the title. India will also become the first team to won the T20 world title three times if they beat New Zealand tonight.
On the other hand, New Zealand are still looking for their first Men’s T20 World Cup title but will try to take inspiration from their women’s side who won the last Women’s T20 World Cup.
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