The ICC T20 Men’s World Cup, the 10th of its kind lighting up world cricket in a seething new fast and furious fantasy journeying in the hectic spellbinding action of heroics of the giants to the up and coming has set up two of the big timers in a furious gallop of the toughest in the fray in reigning champions, hosts India and New Zealand hyping up tomorrow’s finals in the blockbuster of the terrific when the two finalists face off at Ahemadabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Of the sub continent Indians living up to true past potential of one step away from a repeat act to successive titles and New Zealand, a South Pacific Ocean nation longing for a long eluding historic maiden world cup in the white ball format that has left millions of cricket fans guessing whether a 33-ball world record breaking century making Finn Allen championed side from the land of the dairies and wines that knocked out high riding South Africa which thrashed Suryakumar Yadav and company would stop the mighty Indians in their own den in pursuit of back to back world cups.
Indeed, the big cup hype is whether a reigning world cup champion side, minus its retured super stars ex-captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, that picked up from a bad super eight defeat to South Africa under Suryakumar in a probing run of new look makings in the batting in a setback of their world No 1 devastator Abhishek Sharma’s sudden decline leading to India’s most unlikely hero in the advent from the wilderness of Sanju Samson in explosive back to back half centuries of 97 and 84 that knocked out threatening West Indies and England, can repeat it against New Zealand which thrashed the daylights out of South Africa whose bowlers had grinded Suryakumar’s batsmen to the dust in next to no time. It is these contrasting opposites to the big show countdown conjecture of the two finalists that has dramatised tomorrow’s final in a weigh up by the analysts to who would walk away with the world cup of cricket’s literal hamburger in a flash decided between 20 overs a side.
While India has reigned in to the doorstep of repeating greatness in overcoming the ups and downs on the way driven by a largely harmonising all-round prowess driven by its pace-spin bowling attack spearheaded by that near invincible yorker death bowler Jasprit Bumrah as showcased in cutting down England by 7 runs in their semi final, New Zealand has ballooned from the ordinary of losing a group match to England to wearing an iron hard invincible cap driven by upfront Finn Allen’s gungho ho that smashed Chris Gayle’s longstanding fastest century in the format by a 33-ball blinder. That the batting runs deep to threatening big totals that has sped Tim Santner’s tram on their way to just a line more to cross to the world cup, the ultimate anointment yearned for in a long, long time by New Zealanders whose only big feather in the cap had been winning the maiden test championship.
But it is cricket’s bigger, exhilarating while ball cup glory that has eluded the Kiwis that would be the defining line to setting them apart in world cricket that the likes of Finn Allen and key pacer Matt Henry along with the wily arm of slkippef Satner would carry to that ultimate high stakes battle ground.
What has pushed this final to the buttress of a king sized showdown has been New Zealand’s electric like gallop to looking near unstoppable as they take on favourites India going for a historic second successive title.
Man to man, both sides look evenly matched in a predictable humdinger that would see the mightier of the two be the King of T20 Cricket.