Will Young on Champions Trophy final vs India: ‘It is cool to be trying to achieve the same thing 25 years late’ | Cricket News

New Zealand opener Will Young said the Mitchell Santner-led team is eager to repeat what Stephen Fleming’s side has achieved 25-years-ago. In 2000, New Zealand had defeated India four wickets to win their first ICC title.
“There were some iconic names in that squad and those are the ones plenty of guys in this squad looked up to back in the day,” Will Young told ICC.
“It is cool to be trying to achieve the same thing 25 years later.
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“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.”Story continues below this ad
The 32-year-old opener set the tone for New Zealand’s campaign with a ton in his side’s first game of the tournament as they beat hosts Pakan.
India, who have played all their matches here, stormed into the final with an all-win record, and defeated Australia in the semifinal.
New Zealand, who finished second behind India in Group A after losing their league match, secured their spot in the final with a one-sided win over South Africa in the second semifinal in Lahore.
“There’s been some great battles over India in recent hory including the World Test Championship and the 2023 World Cup semi-final. We’ve had some great games against India.Story continues below this ad
“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,” he said.