New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner reflected on his team's four-wicket loss to India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final, describing the outcome as "bittersweet" while commending his players for their efforts. India secured their third Champions Trophy title in Dubai on Sunday, propelled by captain Rohit Sharma’s commanding half-century and a collective bowling performance led by spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Santner acknowledged that his team had challenged India at key moments but admitted they let the game slip away in crucial phases.
"It's bittersweet at the end. We came up against a good side in the final. We challenged India at times throughout this game, which was pleasing. There were a couple of small moments where we let it get away from us," Santner stated, as quoted by the ICC.
Despite the disappointment, the left-arm spinner expressed pride in the squad's performance throughout the tournament, particularly the balance between seasoned players and emerging talents.
"I'm incredibly proud of this group, the way we've gone about it throughout this tournament. We've had a mix of experienced players and a few younger players in the squad. It's been an easy one to captain, different guys stepping up at different times throughout the tournament, which has been outstanding," he remarked.
Also read: India wins ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Santner also reserved praise for India’s captain Rohit Sharma, whose match-winning 76 off 83 balls, adorned with seven boundaries and three sixes, earned him the Player of the Match award.
"We came up against a very good team today. We were in the game for most of it, we probably left 20 runs out there with the bat, and the way Rohit Sharma played took it away from us," Santner noted.
While another defeat in a major final might be disheartening, Santner maintained a pragmatic outlook, underscoring the calibre of teams that reach the final stages of such tournaments.
"If you make finals, you're coming up against another pretty good team who are also playing some good cricket. I was proud of the way we fought tonight. We pride ourselves on not giving up, and I don't think we did," he said.
Acknowledging the significance of the opportunity, he added, "You always want to win one of these, and I don't know how many more chances we'll get, but this is up there for us. We were playing some good cricket leading into this. We thought we had a real sniff today, but we got beaten by a good team."
Follow us
