Mitchell Santner reacts after T20 World Cup final defeat, shares his honest take, says...
Mitchell Santner admitted India were the better side after the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 final, praising the hosts dominant performance in front of a packed Narendra Modi Stadium.
Mitchell Santner opened up after T20 World Cup final defeat (Source: IANS)
T20 World Cup 2026: New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner admitted that India were the better team on the day after the Kiwis lost the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 final. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Santner accepted that New Zealand were outplayed by the home team in front of a packed Narendra Modi Stadium.
Santner also mentioned that despite the loss in the final, the Kiwis had shown great courage in the tournament and had managed to overcome a number of challenges before reaching the Finals. He also mentioned that the Indian team had given a dominating performance in the final match.
"Proud of the boys to make it this far. Obviously, we had some challenges throughout, but at each stage we put up a good fight. Today, we got outplayed by a great team in front of a great crowd. To see a big sea of blue, obviously India were home favourites," Mitchell Santner said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Mitchell Santner praises India for handling home pressure brilliantly
Santner also highlighted the challenge of playing a World Cup in front of passionate home fans, saying the pressure can be immense. However, he credited the Men in Blue for handling that pressure brilliantly and performing consistently throughout the tournament.
"Playing a home World Cup comes with a lot of pressure. But yeah, SKY (Suryakumar Yadav) and the boys should be very, very proud. Different guys stood up at different stages. In the Super Eight and semi-finals, we put up a good fight, but tonight we were obviously outplayed," he added.
Talking about the match, India posted a massive total of 255 after being asked to bat first. Sanju Samson led the charge with 46-ball 89, which included five fours and eight sixes, Abhishek Sharma also contributed 52 off 21 balls, with six fours and three sixes, Ishan Kishan scored 54 in 25 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes, last but not the least Shivam Dube played a late cameo knock of 26* in 8 balls, which featured three fours and two sixes.
In reply, New Zealand struggled and never looked in control. Tim Seifert put up a fight with a quick 52 off 26 balls, hitting two fours and five sixes, but the effort was not enough. India's bowlers dominated the chase, with Axar Patel delivering an impressive spell of 3/27, while Jasprit Bumrah finishing with impressive figures of up 4/15. Riding on this commanding performance, the Men in Blue clinched their third T20 World Cup title in style, becoming the first team to successfully defend the trophy as well as the first host nation to lift it.
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