Ahmedabad, March 6 – Glenn Phillips, a versatile batsman and bowler for New Zealand, stated that his team is accustomed to playing against formidable opponents like India, and they are determined to give their best performance in the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup final, which will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
New Zealand, a nation with a population of 5.5 million, has reached the final stage, facing a strong opponent who can field a team with a wide range of talent. “We are always the underdogs. We always try to compete. I guess that means we can only win if we play our best. For us, it’s about enjoying the game and giving it our all,” Phillips said.
Phillips highlighted the importance of adapting to different conditions. “We have a great team dynamic. We go out there and play our best for our country. Of course, a large crowd is a fantastic atmosphere. We want to entertain the fans, and whether they are supporting us or India, it’s a great environment for cricket,” he added.
Phillips also acknowledged the quality of Indian wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who has been performing well recently. “We’ve played him a few times in the past, and he’s a good bowler. But he’s also incredibly talented, and we’ll try to face his deliveries one by one.”
Phillips emphasized the importance of capitalizing on any loose deliveries from Bumrah. “It’s not always easy, but we need to be able to adjust. If he bowls well, we also need to be able to adapt.”
Phillips added that capitalizing on any loose deliveries from Bumrah would be crucial. “It’s not necessarily going to be that, per se. As I said, a bowler is allowed to have a bad day. If he happens to miss, we do have to put it away. But that also means that if he does bowl well, we do have to, I guess, accommodate for other things and adapt on the fly.”
The high-octane final is expected to pit New Zealand’s batsmen against India’s wrist-spinner, Varun Chakaravarthy, who has been in good form. “I think we've played him quite a few times in the past, which is helpful. But he's an incredible bowler, and we'll just try to face the ball one ball at a time. Obviously, he is allowed to have a good day, but we're also allowed to have a good day, and we'll see what happens,” added Phillips.
Phillips was candid about Jasprit Bumrah's quality, especially after his outstanding performance in the semi-final against England. "Obviously, we had a really good experience against him in the bilateral series. But he's a class bowler. Obviously, Bumrah is a fantastic bowler. He's got so many variations. He hits the block hole at the death incredibly well. Obviously, the way the England boys played him yesterday in terms of trying to take the overs to, I guess, the last two overs and give themselves as much of a chance as possible was, I guess, the tactic that they'd employed. He's human as well. He is allowed to have a bad day, as are the rest of us. So hopefully, we have a good day against him," he added.
Phillips added that capitalizing on any loose deliveries from Bumrah would be crucial. “It's not necessarily going to be that, per se. As I said, a bowler is allowed to miss. If he happens to miss, we do have to put it away. But that also means that if he does bowl well, we do have to, I guess, accommodate for other things and adapt on the fly.”
The previous night's semi-final between India and England, a high-scoring match, sparked discussions about the conditions on the pitch. Phillips stated that New Zealand were prepared for any conditions the pitch might offer.
“Look, obviously that was a fantastic game. It was great to watch last night, great for cricket in general. Obviously, there are things going around about pitches being too batter-friendly and things like that. But obviously, I think it's an entertaining brand of cricket, and the pitches at different stadiums play each time differently. So whatever we see, we'll try and adapt to that,” he added.
The dew factor is also expected to be a factor, though some measures are expected to be taken to minimize its impact. New Zealand gained some experience with the dew factor in Kolkata during the semi-final against South Africa, where they successfully chased down 170, thanks to Finn Allen’s record 33-ball century.
“I think coming from Kolkata was a great opportunity to understand that dew factor. We were obviously lucky enough to win the toss and bat and chase down 170 in a very limited number of overs, which is fantastic. So, especially the boys up top, they're used to playing with high strike rates. Obviously, all the Indian boys do the same. Obviously, the dew factor is always a thing here in India this time of year. Whether the chemicals work or dew is going to be a factor; if we do end up having to bat first and bowl second, then we're going to have to adapt as much as possible to that situation. I guess, go out there, try to execute our skills as much as possible, whether we've got a wet ball or a dry ball. There's no real excuse,” added Phillips.
Phillips said New Zealand's journey to the final, despite one stumble against England in the Super Eights, had been built on collective effort, citing the match-winning contributions of Allen and Tim Seifert in the semi-final. “We're pretty happy with how we've gone about things. Obviously, we had a little bit of a hiccup against England there, and we were in a strong position. But the way the boys came out against South Africa, I guess it comes down to one game at a time. In knockout competitions, it does seem to turn up for whoever's there on the day. Obviously, the way Finn batted the other day was fantastic. Along with Seifert, the boys bowled incredibly well. So it's a one-off game again, which is fantastic, and hopefully, we can go and adapt to the best we can.”
When it comes to going toe-to-toe with a cricketing superpower on home soil in front of a 130,000-strong crowd, Phillips said the gulf in resources had never stopped New Zealand before and would not stop them now in their quest to win their first-ever Men’s T20 World Cup. “I think cricket is cricket at the end of the day. Everybody’s trying to get to the same position and, I guess, trying to perform as best they can for their country or whichever team they're playing against. Obviously, we've got a few less people in our country to, I guess, have the luxury of choosing from, which means, obviously, our high-performance programme has to be very specific and catered to the population that we've got. But obviously, the talent that comes out of India is phenomenal. They could probably pick three sides that would compete just as evenly in this World Cup. So, for us to go out and compete with teams around the world with such a small population is fantastic. But I think we've put it down to a lot of our team culture, our preparation, and trying to do the little things well,” he concluded.
