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Here is the full transcript of New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner's pre-match press conference ahead of the T20 World Cup final against India in Ahmedabad.
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00:00Good afternoon, everyone.
00:01Thank you for joining us for this pre-match press conference ahead of the ICC Men's T20
00:05World Cup final.
00:06Please ensure you've got a microphone in your hand and raise your hand before you ask a
00:10question.
00:12We'll get started down here.
00:17Hi Mitch, packed press conference room, a lot of buzz, means you're playing India.
00:23What's your thoughts?
00:25Yeah, first thing, I'm pretty excited, yeah, I mean we played obviously India a little
00:32bit before the tournament started and it was a good series for us obviously building up
00:37for the World Cup so I guess there's no secrets to what is going to be out there tomorrow but
00:43yeah, first thing, boys are buzzing obviously, World Cup final, guys are excited and ready
00:48to go.
00:52How both the teams reached the final, does it matter because after all this is the last
00:57game and the day of the final, how you perform matters?
01:02Yeah, I think, yeah, you know everyone's goal is to get through each stage whether it's the
01:07group stage, Super 8 into the semi so I think, yeah, I mean we've had different roads to
01:12get to where we are today but at the end of the day it's a one-off game shootout against
01:18a very good team.
01:19We know that and yeah, I mean boys are excited.
01:24Yeah, I think, you know, I think momentum's obviously a massive part, we're taking a lot
01:28of confidence from our last game and I think India will do the same.
01:33Yeah, Mitch, just want to know what do you make of the wicket because last time around
01:38the finale held here there was a lot of chatter around that wicket, what's your understanding
01:42and, you know, how much you are talking and in your conversations, just breathe Bumrah is
01:47the part of your conversations, how much is that guy?
01:50Yeah, I mean I haven't had a look at the wicket yet, it's still under cover but one can only
01:54assume it's going to be pretty flat and high scoring so I think, yeah, in terms of Bumrah
02:01I think he should be in everyone's conversation, the way he's been going.
02:05Yeah, I think England, yeah, looked pretty hard to hit and he was obviously the game changer
02:10for India the other night but we knew that was going to be the case, he's obviously a
02:14world-class bowler but, you know, not just him.
02:16You know, I think the way everyone's been rolling in the Indian team, whether it's with
02:20bat or ball, everyone's stepped up at different times and as a team that's where you want to
02:25be.
02:27Yeah, Mitchell, when you look at New Zealand's 4-1 loss unfortunately that you had prior to
02:34the bilateral series, what are the takeaways that you've taken from that bilateral series
02:40and does it apply even in an ICC final or are the dynamics totally different when it
02:45comes to the planning, the execution bit?
02:47I think in terms of the planning and the execution, it was a great series, you know, we were challenged
02:54at times, well, a lot of times throughout that series but again, you kind of build on what
03:00works, what doesn't work and you kind of take that information going forward.
03:05You know, we obviously played on five pretty good surfaces throughout India.
03:10I guess, again, not sure what this is going to play like but again, I assume it's going
03:15to be pretty good.
03:16And yeah, it's all learnings and I think guys will take, you know, obviously good conversations
03:21from that series into this game already.
03:23And again, it's, you know, we learn from that and try to put India under, you know, pressure
03:29for a long time and I guess a World Cup final is a little bit different to, you know, a
03:34series.
03:35Hi Mitch.
03:36A slightly longer and slightly philosophical question.
03:39So this will be New Zealand's fifth final appearance at an ICC white ball event in the
03:44last 11 years.
03:45On one hand, that is a testament to how impeccably consistent the team has been over the last
03:50decade but then none of those previous four appearances culminated in a silverware and when
03:55it doesn't, the narrative that we have had is that New Zealand are a bunch of good guys
03:59who don't win trophies but they win hearts.
04:02Clearly you must be fed up of that.
04:04Do you want to be tomorrow the bunch of bad guys who break a billion hearts as opposed to
04:08winning it or are you of the opinion that the journey outweighs trophies?
04:14I wouldn't mind winning a trophy but yeah, I think that's, you know, you look at this
04:19group and the groups that have been in the past, you know, we are pretty consistent in
04:23these tournaments because we try not to get, you know, overruled by the situation or opponents.
04:28We just go out there and do our thing and as a unit it's been no different this time
04:32and again it's going to be obviously a challenge where everyone knows we're probably not the
04:37favourites but we don't mind.
04:39We know we can, if we do our little things well and put in a strong team performance,
04:44you know, put us in a pretty good position to hopefully lift the trophy but yeah, I wouldn't
04:50mind breaking a few hearts to lift the trophy for once.
04:54Mitch, you, we talk so much about how important a power play is in T20s.
05:01You've got Finn and Tim on one side, you've got Matt in particular on the other side.
05:05Where do you see that balance lying when you compare it with India?
05:10Yeah, I think obviously with the, India kind of go hard obviously at the top but all the
05:16way through and I think the only way to slow any team down is wickets at the top and then
05:22try, you know, squeeze a few overs in the middle.
05:24I think it's very hard if guys get away, you know, to slow them down without taking wickets.
05:30So I think, you know, whether, whatever the plan looks like it's, but I think, you know,
05:36if you're not taking wickets, you know, what's the best method or way to not get hit for a
05:41boundary or, you know, even if you do, it's how do you close overs out versus, you know,
05:46turning those ones into 15, 20.
05:49And at the end of the day, if it's going to be flat, it might be, you know, the other
05:51night trying to restrict India to 220 instead of 250, it might give you a good chance.
05:55So again, it's, it's all dependent on the surface, what that looks like.
05:58Out there tomorrow, it's still on the cover, so I don't know what it looks like.
06:02But, you know, I think, and then on the flip side with the bat, it's, you know, it's the
06:06opposite.
06:06It's how do you put the guys under pressure for six overs, you know, not losing wickets
06:11along the way.
06:11It's easy to say don't lose wickets, but also get runs because that's, it's a pretty
06:14tough balance.
06:15But yeah, I think we know how deep India bat that they're going to put us under pressure
06:20for, you know, the first over to the seventh over to the 12th over all the way through.
06:24So I think what that looks like for us is trying to be very clear on what that looks
06:28like and try, I guess, if you can't get wickets, get hit for one.
06:34Hi, Mitch.
06:36It's an, hi there.
06:37It's an extension to the previous one where you mentioned you won't mind breaking hearts
06:41tomorrow.
06:42But I want to know, is there some sort of change in the mindset in the dressing room to
06:46claim the maiden title?
06:48You guys have come quite close a few times in the past.
06:50But what about the mindset?
06:51What about some statical changes in the dressing room?
06:55I think the mindset's the same.
06:58You know, it's easy to say it's just another game, but everyone knows it's probably not.
07:01But I think the way you go about it has to be the same, whether it's your preparation,
07:06what that looks like on the day, leading up to the game.
07:09And I think, you know, it always comes down to a couple of moments, especially in T20 cricket,
07:14where if you can, you know, squeeze the opposition or take, you know, the advantage through there.
07:19I think we saw it the other night.
07:20But I don't know, it always comes down to fielding at some stage.
07:23But if you can be very consistent in the way you approach the game, with, you know,
07:28bearing a couple of moments where you could potentially be a little bit more ruthless
07:31or what that looks like.
07:33But I think, you know, I don't think you have to reinvent the wheel.
07:36It's just, you know, you're making a final.
07:39You're coming up against another team who's also playing some pretty good cricket.
07:42So it's never that easy.
07:47Hi, Mitch.
07:49Both teams produced pretty terrifying batting performances to win their semi-finals.
07:53What were your thoughts as India was scoring 250-odd against England?
07:59Do you feel fear at all?
08:01Is fear a thing?
08:02And if so, do you think they're more scared of you than you are of them?
08:08I guess you'll have to ask them.
08:10But I think, you know, when you know it's going to be high scoring, I think, you know,
08:15gone are the days of trying to roll a team on a flat one for 160.
08:18So it might be, especially Wankete, we know it's a great, great ground for cricket.
08:22It's very high scoring.
08:23And it was the other night.
08:25So I think it's, you know, how do we turn that 250 into a 220 potentially even?
08:29You know, England were thinking, you know, 230.
08:31They could have chased it.
08:32And they, you know, they got 240.
08:33So I think, yeah, I know they obviously got a lot of runs with the bat.
08:37But they also, you know, England came very close with a well-executed chase.
08:41And I think, you know, it was pretty neck and neck until, I think, that boomer over.
08:47So I think, you know, either way, you know, if you know that you're batting first
08:50and you can try to get a good score and put some pressure on
08:52or you know that if you can try a restricted team to, you know,
08:56it might be 220 on a flat one, you know, it puts you on a pretty good position.
09:00Hi, Mitch.
09:01Mitch, Barun Chakravarti has hit a bit of a form slump off late,
09:05especially the last game, considering 64 runs of his four overs.
09:09I mean, going into the final, and he might be a bit low on confidence as well.
09:14So going into the final, is that a psychological advantage for you?
09:18No, I don't think so.
09:20I mean, he's, we've all seen how good he is.
09:22And I think the challenges of any bowler is when it is flat, you know, what does it look like?
09:27When it's spinning and when it's seaming, you know, it's obviously a challenge for every batter.
09:32But when it is flat, what does that look like?
09:34And I think, you know, everyone goes for 60 on their day.
09:39So I think it's, again, for Barun, I think he's got to know that he's still a very good bowler.
09:43And, you know, it's only one game away from, you know, changing the tide.
09:47And the same with any bowler or any batter, if, you know, they're out of form,
09:51they're only one game away from being back in form.
09:53So, you know, I obviously try to tell our group that throughout that India series,
09:57it's obviously a challenge.
09:58But it's, it was a good, good learning.
10:01So it was, you know, it doesn't get any harder than that.
10:04So I think you can bank on experience from there, you know, going to a game like that tomorrow.
10:08If it is, if you're in a similar situation, what does it look like?
10:10Can you do things slightly different?
10:12It might, you know, be the winning and losing of a game.
10:17Mitch, for the context of what's going on in the world today, the escalations in West Asia,
10:22has the teams spoken with the group or what they think about it?
10:34Yeah, I mean, it's, it's pretty, it's a hard one to avoid or not see because it is, you know,
10:39everywhere and it's obviously a pretty tough situation.
10:44You know, I think obviously people at the World Cup have been affected as well, guys,
10:47not going to have to go home and, you know, it's, I think for us it's, you know,
10:52it's trying to, you know, just think about what, what it looks like tomorrow
10:56for the game and then, yeah, it's, it's obviously a challenge to put that out of your mind,
11:03but I guess for us it's thinking on, you know, what, what does tomorrow look like for us
11:07against a very, very good Indian team.
11:12Hi, hi Mitch.
11:13Congratulations on an amazing campaign so far.
11:15I'm just curious to know how a team and how you are as the captain, viewing,
11:22playing a side that comes into a final on the back of that kind of a game.
11:27You know, a game, a momentum is huge in T20 cricket and when you see a team like India
11:32and the kind of game they had, a semi-final they had with the moments,
11:36how do you prepare to face that sort of a team mentally?
11:43Yeah, I mean, it's, you want to kind of be consistent in your approach.
11:48You know, obviously a lot of different things can happen throughout any game of cricket
11:52but I think the way you approach it has to be the same.
11:55You know, we'll approach it the same as we did for the semi-final against South Africa
11:59as we did for game one against Afghanistan.
12:01You know, you put in the work that, you know, leading into the game
12:04and you get your process and your video and what that looks like
12:08and then you go out there and just try and execute the best you can.
12:11I think India, you know, would be very, you know, have a lot of momentum
12:15or a lot of, you know, confidence going into this game, I think,
12:18especially with the bat.
12:19I mean, they know with the ball they could have been, you know, a little bit better,
12:22you know, conceding 240 in a very high-scoring game.
12:25So I think, yeah, we know that both teams will be going to the game
12:29with confidence in where their games are at
12:31and I think it's, you know, whoever kind of can do it for a long time tomorrow
12:36will put in a pretty good position.
12:42Hey, Mitch.
12:44Cool.
12:46So, how has the rest of the squad taken Cole's inclusion
12:50considering some of them are sitting out?
12:52Because I'm asking this because there's a culture of care in cricket
12:56which makes taking these decisions a little bit easier.
13:01Yeah, I think it's always a challenging one for the guys who aren't playing.
13:05You know, you come to a World Cup and you obviously want to play every game,
13:08it's not that easy.
13:10I think, you know, most teams, for us it was a very match-up-based decision.
13:17You know, obviously losing Michael Bracewell, who could have done that role,
13:20obviously that Cole's doing now and I think Cole coming straight in,
13:23you know, it's obviously a challenge.
13:24I think when you have the buy-in of the group, you know,
13:27it's not just the 11 out there, it's the 15 in the squad.
13:29It's the guys not playing.
13:32You know, they get mentioned all the time,
13:34all their work off the ball, support staff as well.
13:37It's all, we're all on this journey together.
13:40Yeah, there's 11 guys that go out and take the field,
13:42but it's more than that.
13:43And I think that when you get the buy-in of the whole squad,
13:45you know, I guess those decisions are taken way better
13:50when they know that, you know,
13:51they're part of something bigger and a bigger picture
13:53and I guess that comes down to the environment,
13:57how you can set the environment up for that.
14:03In the Super 8, South Africa showed that India are very much beatable.
14:06David Miller did say after the game
14:08that they probably showed how India are beatable.
14:10The last semi-final against England,
14:12England pushed them really close.
14:14So now when you build up to this final,
14:16do you think you have some sort of edge going into it
14:18because one lakh people, 99,000 probably cheering for the host,
14:22give them that feeling of being overwhelmed by the crowd
14:25because not a very long time ago,
14:27Pat come and showed how to silence that crowd.
14:29So are you up for that as well?
14:31Yeah, I guess that's the goal,
14:33is to silence the crowd.
14:35But I think, you know,
14:36I think that there is a lot of variables in T20 cricket
14:40and it is fickle at times
14:41and we've seen throughout the whole World Cup
14:43that, you know, a lot of teams are on similar pages
14:45and it comes down to, you know,
14:47some little moments in every game that changes the outcome.
14:50So I think, you know, India were very close,
14:54England were very close to chasing that the other night.
14:56We've seen South Africa playing very good cricket all the way through
14:59and then, I guess, had a little hiccup against us
15:01and, you know, you're out.
15:02So I think for us it's taking confidence in that,
15:03that we can, if we go about our business the same way,
15:07we can upset another big team
15:09and I think there's obviously a lot of pressure on in there
15:11to win this World Cup at home.
15:14I mean, it would be,
15:16I guess if we don't win it would be pretty cool for,
15:18you know, to win a home World Cup
15:20so I think that comes with a lot of added pressure as well.
15:23So if we can go out there and try to put,
15:25I guess, that added pressure on them
15:26and see what happens.
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