IND vs NZ Final: Not Finn Allen, this is the Kiwi batsman, big tension, how will India handle it?

Finn Allen is being said to be a big threat for Team India in the final of ICC T20 World Cup 2026. 26-year-old Allen played an unbeaten inning of 100 runs in 33 balls in the semi-final match against South Africa, due to which New Zealand chased the target of 170 runs in 12.5 overs. Allen had played in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) before the T20 World Cup.

Looking at Allen’s tremendous form, it is believed that he will be the trump card of the Kiwi team in the final. However, if we look at the statistics, he has not been able to do much against India. He has played 6 T20I matches against Team India so far, in which he has scored only 132 runs at an average of 22. His strike rate (162.96) is good but he has scored only one half-century. On the other hand, his opening partner Tim Seifert has been very successful in front of the Indian team.

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Siefert’s record is tremendous

Tim Seifert is New Zealand’s second highest run scorer in this T20 World Cup. So far, he has scored 274 runs in 7 innings at an average of 45.66 and strike rate of 161.17. During this period, he has scored 3 half-centuries with his bat. There is consistency in his performance and he can become a problem for Team India in the final. This wicketkeeper batsman has a lot of experience of playing against India.

31-year-old Seifert has played 15 T20 matches for Team India, in which he has scored 425 runs at an average of 32.69 and strike rate of 148.6, which includes 4 half-centuries. Before the World Cup, he had scored 103 runs in 4 matches in the T20 series against India. His average was low but he had taken his strike rate above 160. For the Indian team to defend its title, it will be necessary to take the wicket of Seifert in the first two overs only. Once he survives, he can change the course of the match.

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Squads of both the teams:

India – Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Varun Chakraborty, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.

New Zealand – Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Jimmy Neesham, Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jameson, Devon Conway.