Dubai: New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner concedes while the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Final is not just any game - his team will prepare for facing India in the showdown in just the same way as they have done before all their other matches.
"It's easy to say it's just another game, it's obviously not, but I think the way you approach it has to be the same," he told reporters on the eve of the summit clash here.
"We've done a lot of good stuff this tournament, we're just trying to progress and build on the things we've been doing as a team, and keep trying to take this team forward," Santner said.
"It's on the biggest stage tomorrow. The guys will go out with confidence, try and keep it a pretty relaxed environment, let the guys go out there and have some freedom and enjoy it," he said on Saturday.
The finalists have already played each other this tournament, facing off in the final Group A match to decide who would top it, and Santner thought that knowing the conditions in Dubai could give his team some added impetus, an ICC report said.
"The mix of experience and a few younger boys in this group, what we asked them at the start was to buy into a way we want to approach cricket on and off the field," he said.
"We've been playing some good cricket, long may it continue. You have to treat it as another chance against a very good opposition," Santner said.
"You get to the business ends of these tournaments. Your first goal is to make play-offs [semi-finals] but going into a final it's whoever can stand up on the day. The way we go about it is to not get overawed by the occasion...trying to keep it pretty relaxed but also know we have to put in a good shift tomorrow," he said.
Asked whether the tournament's leading wicket-taker Matt Henry would be fit to play after hurting his shoulder in the field during the semi-final against South Africa, he replied: "We'll be going across the road and training after this. Matt's going to have a bowl and see how he is, and we'll make a call after that."
Santner also assessed the India bowling attack, with some particular words on Varun Chakaravarthy, an opponent he knows well from their shared time in the IPL, describing him as 'a world-class bowler' with a 'little bit of mystery'.
Chakaravarthy took five wickets against New Zealand in their group match as India put on a convincing display, but Santner is confident his players have learnt from that experience.
"If the pitch plays a similar way, he'll be a challenge, along with all three of their other spinners," he said.
"The boys will be ready for tomorrow, we've looked at a little bit more footage. We know what his threats are now - that 115kph armball that got me, that was a bit of a threat! - but we know he's going to be a challenge," Santner added.
