New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said he knows India is well-equipped with the playing conditions in Dubai ahead of the Sunday Showdown in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The left-armer also commented on the ‘travel row’ that made headlines throughout this tournament, adding ‘it’s all part of the challenge’ and that the players must be ready and prepared for it.

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The travel row arose as India ended up playing all of its matches in Dubai, which was agreed upon as a neutral venue for the team's matches so that the Men in Blue didn't have to play in the host nation Pakistan, given the current political-security situation between the South Asian neighbours.

Santner’s New Zealand qualified for the Champions Trophy final after beating South Africa in the second semis in Lahore on Wednesday (Mar 5); they then travelled to Dubai – the venue for the summit clash, to face the unbeaten Indian side in the CT final for the first time in 25 years. 

During the group stage tie earlier, India beat New Zealand by 44 runs to stand tall in the standings, later beating Australia in the semis to punch their final ticket.

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However, amid all the talks around India's schedule, placed in Group A, enjoying all benefits of staying in one city, one hotel, practising at one training ground and playing all their matches at a single venue, unlike remaining participating teams, including hosts Pakistan, who juggled across three separate cities (Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore) for their scheduled league games, Santner said moving around (for matches) feels usual, and that his teammates understand the logistical challenges in today’s cricket.

"It's just the general feel of this tournament, moving around a lot. It's all part of the challenge. I think we've been to every place here,” Santner said after landing in Dubai for the final.

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“Obviously, in Pakistan and Dubai. I think the guys understand it's part of it these days. As long as you're ready to go for the game, it's fine.”

‘India knows the conditions well’

Having played and lost to India in Dubai the past Sunday, Santner admitted knowing whom they are squaring off against in the CT Final. Commenting on the opposition’s gameplay throughout, Santner said India has played here and knows the conditions better than them.

He also noted the pitch’s nature compared to the one they played on in Lahore, saying it’s going to be on the slower side.

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"They've played all their games here in Dubai and know that surface. Obviously, the surface will dictate a little bit of how we want to operate. It might be a little bit slower than what we got in Lahore. It might be more of a scrap, but we're down to scrap," he said.

"We've come against a good side. I think we'll be better for the run we had the other day against them. We've had a bit of a roll on. Hopefully, it continues," Santner added.

(With inputs from agencies)