After 54 matches spread across 29 days, it all comes down to the ultimate game of the 2026 T20 World Cup to be played between India and New Zealand. After defeating England in the semi-final, the Men in Blue will arrive in the final to defend their crown while New Zealand are hopeful to win their first ICC silverware.

Ahead of the game, the captains of both the teams addressed the media during the pre-match press conference and shared their views. Mitchell Santner made a few bold statements and Suryakumar Yadav came up with a really funny reply. Santer said that New Zealand aim is to ‘silence’ the Indian crowd.

In reply to that, India’s skipper said, “Everyone is saying the same here (laughs). Tell them to come up with something new. But, the mood in the camp is very relaxed and happy. It is a special feeling to lead such a side on home soil and at a wonderful stadium. We are really excited for it,”

Surya also spoke about Rohit Sharma and said, “It's my shoes, but his footsteps. I got to learn a lot from him when playing under him. I also followed the same strategy. The experience of Gauti bhai is also important. I tried to implement similar things, with a few thoughts of mine also. It's been going well. I hope it goes on for many more years. We have been preparing for this stage really well. We started two years back. Hopefully, play good cricket. Be courageous in tough situations,”

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The skipper also backed his star bowler Varun Chakravarthy ahead of the final and said, “There are 11 players in the team. Everybody can’t have their best days together. One or two of them will have tough days. We look to cover for them on those days. "But, we are not worried about him at all. He is the World No. 1 bowler. He knows what to do when, how to bowl against which opposition. He knows how to step forward and win matches for us. I am sure he will do it."

He refused to give much information about India’s gameplan for the final and said, "Changes, please, you will know tomorrow. You can't know everything today, right?"