New Delhi, March 7: The T20 World Cup 2026 final between India and New Zealand is set to take place this Sunday. Former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn believes that the Indian team is exceptionally strong in their home conditions, making it extremely difficult for New Zealand to secure a victory.
In a discussion on AB de Villiers’ YouTube channel, Steyn stated that the Indian team is formidable when playing at home. He emphasized that defeating them is a challenging task, and for New Zealand to win, they would need to perform a miracle.
Steyn acknowledged that New Zealand is a good team playing excellent cricket, and he hopes they succeed. However, he feels that winning against India will be a tough challenge.
In a light-hearted manner, Steyn joked that if New Zealand fails to win against the Indian team, he would label them with the ‘chokers’ tag that has been associated with South Africa. New Zealand has played seven ICC finals but has only won twice, so failing to win against India could warrant that label.
AB de Villiers also reminisced about South Africa’s loss to New Zealand in the 2015 ODI World Cup semi-final, expressing regret over that defeat. He noted that only South Africa could have beaten Australia in a final on their home ground.
Historically, knockout matches have been challenging for both New Zealand and South Africa. This time, New Zealand eliminated South Africa in the semi-finals, and they have only won two ICC trophies (Champions Trophy and World Test Championship), both against India.
New Zealand has a remarkable record against India in T20 World Cup history, having won all three matches played so far. Therefore, all eyes will be on New Zealand’s performance in the final.
“Disclaimer: This news is directly from the agency; our team has not made any edits.”
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
