New Delhi, March 8 Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has weighed in on the high-stakes clash between defending champions India and New Zealand and labelled the hosts as the heavy favourites to defend their crown, saying, "ICC events are now part of India’s DNA."
India and New Zealand are set to lock horns in the T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with India standing on the cusp of a record third title, while New Zealand eyes its maiden crown.
"I think India has the home advantage. ICC events are now part of India’s DNA; they either reach the final or keep winning. This is a big change we’ve seen in the Indian team over the last 4–5 years," Latif told IANS on Sunday.
Both teams enter the final on the back of dominant semifinal performances. India edged out England in a high-scoring thriller by seven runs at the Wankhede Stadium, fuelled by Sanju Samson’s blistering 89 and Jasprit Bumrah’s death-bowling masterclass.
New Zealand, meanwhile, stunned an undefeated South Africa in Kolkata. Opener Finn Allen etched his name into history with a 33-ball century, the fastest in T20 World Cup history, to chase down 170 in just 12.5 overs.
"New Zealand are definitely a strong team. The way they defeated South Africa in the semifinal in such a one-sided manner was truly remarkable. That match was one of a kind and could easily be considered among the best matches in history. It’s not something we get to see very often. India are the favourites, but New Zealand also has the ability to fight back. However, they might struggle to match India’s firepower," he added.
Latif observed that the crucial window between the 16th and 18th overs has been the "turning point" in recent matches, where India’s ability to restrict runs has outclassed their rivals, highlighting a stark contrast between India and South Africa, England, and New Zealand, pointing to India’s superior "finishing" with the ball.
"In my opinion, the real difference lies in the death overs. South Africa, New Zealand, and England were missing strong death-over bowling, but India has that strength. Arshdeep has developed a lot now; he has been given consistent chances so that he can bowl two overs in the death. In the previous matches, the overs between 16 and 18 were where the game really changed because of the bowling," he said.
Latif concluded that if Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan find their spark in Ahmedabad, New Zealand’s disciplined bowling unit might be overwhelmed. However, should the openers fail again, the pressure will fall squarely on the shoulders of the death bowlers to bail the hosts out once more.
"New Zealand have been playing well throughout the tournament. They have lost two matches, but in T20 cricket, their team should have a strong top three, and New Zealand’s top three is among the best. India also have a very good top three.
"Sanju Samson has been performing well at the top, but the other two haven’t been scoring the kind of runs expected from them. They are getting runs, but not in the way the team would ideally want. If Ishan and Abhishek perform in the final, it would be outstanding for India," the former cricketer concluded.
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