Team That Shows Up On The Day Will Win: Will Young Ahead Of CT Final Vs India

New Zealand will enter the all-important Champions Trophy final against India, having already suffered a defeat at the hands of the Men in Blue in this very competition, but the side’s opener, Will Young, believes that all that will ultimately matter is which team shows up on the day.

Between 2019 and 2021, New Zealand beat India in the 2019 WC semi-final, the 2021 T20WC group stages and the 2021 World Test Championship (WTC) Final. However, the Men in Blue emerged victorious in the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final at the Wankhede. 

Going by India’s current form, they will definitely enter the contest as favourites, but Young believes that history goes out the window in a final, which is effectively a one-game shootout.

“There’s been some great battles over India in recent history, including the World Test Championship and the 2023 World Cup semi-final. We’ve had some great games against India,” Young said.

“But to be honest, it is who will show up on the day. You can’t be too stuck in the past.

“We’ll look to be able to adjust and adapt to whatever challenges are in front of us on Sunday and hope the game we’ve got and the nerve that we hold will be enough.”

Young further asserted that the Blackcaps will use last week's defeat against India to their advantage, drawing valuable lessons from that particular clash, which incidentally happened at the very same venue. There, New Zealand slipped to a 44-run defeat chasing 250.

“It was a great opportunity to see the style of cricket they will bring, especially at that venue and in those conditions,” Young said of the group game.

“There is plenty we can take from that in a scouting point of view, especially in my eyes as a batter, but I am sure the bowlers got a good look at their batters as well and how they are likely to approach things.”

Young and New Zealand would love for history to repeat itself. 25 years ago, the Blackcaps won their first (and only) ICC white-ball trophy and it was the Champions Trophy, incidentally against India. 

There, the Stephen Fleming-led Blackcaps toppled a strong Indian side filled with generational superstars courtesy of a stunning century from Chris Cairns, which helped the Kiwis chase down 265.

Young spoke about how he and his teammates will look to draw inspiration from the famous triumph in 2000.

“It is cool to be trying to achieve the same thing 25 years later,” he said.

“I was eight years old at the time and just starting to fall in love with the game.

“I am well aware of New Zealand’s exploits in that tournament and it was fantastic to see them win.

“I’m thinking back to before we boarded the plane to come over here, we had an unveiling of the Champions Trophy squad. Scott Styris was there that day and told a few stories about the team and their exploits in that tournament.

“It was cool to recognise the past and that New Zealand has done this before. It is just about passing the baton and hopefully we can emulate them in a couple of days.”