Ahmedabad, March 7: A photo of New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner is going viral on social media just hours before the IND Vs NZ ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Final which has become a reason to worry for the Indian fans. The viral pic shows Mitchell Santner taking the photo of the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Flashbacks of the 2023 World Cup Final
However, the main reason of concern for the fans is that in 2023 Australian captain Pat Cummins was also seen taking the pics of the pitch ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 final at the same venue. The result of the game went against the favour of India and the team lost the final to Australia in front of thousands of fans at the stadium.
Viral Photo
As New Zealand players were inspecting the pitch ahead of the high-intensity final, Santner was spotted clicking photos of the surface on his mobile phone. The social media users began sharing jokes and memes claiming that Mitchell Santner was repeating what Australian captain Pat Cummins did before the 2023 ODI World Cup final at the same venue.
Because of that memory, Santner's pitch photos have brought back flashbacks for several Indian fans online after which they shared the pics and have started comparing both the captains in a humorous way.
Fans React
Many fans joked that Santner was "copying" Cummins ahead of the big game. Some even posted funny comments saying that Team India would make sure that the result is different this time. Others pointed out that the pitch and the conditions are different now and that the final will depend on how both team perform on the big day and under immense pressure.
Santner's Press Conference
Earlier, Santner was asked by a reported at the press conference, "Are you ready to break a billion hearts to win the trophy?" To which he replied, "We may not be favourites, but if we play well as a team, we can win it - even if it means breaking a few hearts."
