Melbourne, March 28 (IANS) New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum believes Indians fans, who will be in attendance in large numbers at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the cricket World Cup final on Sunday, will be rooting for his team and not Australia, adding that this support is needed in a game of such magnitude.
Asked at the pre-match press conference on Saturday about Indian fans travelling for the final, McCullum said, “I'm pleased you touched on that because I reckon we might have the home crowd tomorrow actually.
“It's probably no secret that most of the other teams around the world would probably fair New Zealand to win over Australia. Hopefully we'll get a good smattering of support tomorrow and I'm sure the Indian guys will certainly be rooting for us.”
Reportedly, many Indians had already purchased tickets for the final, hoping it would turn out be a India-New Zealand encounter. However, Australia beat India in the semifinal on Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) to enter the final.
The 33-year-old said that the size of MCG would not be a problem for them, contrary to what many former cricketers believe. Australia’s Matthew Hayden went on to say the Black Caps would not be able to cope with the massive ground.
“We're not intimidated. We're excited. I guess right through the week there's been a healthy sort of chat about those things externally. But from our point of view, we're just going about our work in the same way. We know if we play well we'll be tough to beat, and, yeah, that's pretty much our preparation,” said the explosive opener.
New Zealand have played all their matches so far at home on much smaller grounds, where scoring sixes and boundaries are much easier, in comparison to those in Australia, especially the MCG.
"It's a great stage to be able to test ourselves in the development that we've made. Boundaries are big but the bats are bigger too. You see the balls are flying,” said the right-handed batsman.
McCullum said going into the encounter, both sides will have 50-50 chances of winning and hopes to have the last laugh on Sunday.
“It's been an amazing trip. We dreamed right from the start to give ourselves a 50-50 chance in the final which is an amazing achievement. We've done some special things over the last little while. We've had some tremendous support back home and also from around the world as well. We've got one more big hurdle tomorrow,” McCullum said.
“We'll give it everything we've possibly got. Hopefully if we play well, we'll be smiling at the end of the day and be able to look back on a fantastic campaign and something which would hopefully invigorate the game and New Zealand.”
Corona vaccine may be ready in India by August, CM Rao told PM
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Kovid-19 vaccine could be ready in Hyderabad by July-August. He gave this information in a conversation with the
Yogi claims Ramrajya in the dock due to rape and increasing crime in UP
August 16, 2020: A 13-year-old Dalit girl was gang-raped in Lakhimpur Kheri, UP and her dead body was found in a sugarcane field. August 10, 2020: Sudiksha Bhati was on a motorcycle with her younger
Punjab Assembly elections date extended, now voting will be held on February 20
The Election Commission has announced the new date for the elections to the Punjab Legislative Assembly. Now elections in Punjab will be held on February 20. The appeal to postpone the assembly
The hope of relief: Will CNG prices come down after petrol and diesel? The government may consider Siam's demand
The Central Government reduced the prices of petrol and diesel by making a big cut in the excise duty and gave great relief to the public. Now it is expected that the government may soon reduce the
14th BRICS Summit: PM Modi said - The lives of citizens are getting direct benefits due to our cooperation, said this on Corona
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday participated in the 14th BRICS summit organized by China through video conferencing. During this, he said that the outbreak of the corona epidemic has reduced
Saif Ali Khan: 'The garbage should be removed', Nitesh Rane's words got harsh on the attack on Saif; also mentioned Sushant
After Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam, Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane raised serious questions about the attack on film actor Saif Ali Khan. The BJP leader accused the BJP of hiding the truth of the
Board Exams: Supreme Court will hear on the petition to cancel the offline examinations of class 10th and 12th board
The Supreme Court has approved the hearing on the petition to cancel the offline examinations of all boards including CBSE, ICSE. Chief Justice NV Ramana allowed the petition and told that the matter
Earthquake tremors in Amritsar: 4.1 Magnitude intensity, epicenter found 8 km from Chiniot city of Pakistan
Earthquake tremors were felt in Amritsar and other parts of Punjab on Monday morning. According to information received from the National Center of Seismology, the magnitude of this earthquake was 4.1
Nikki Bhati Murder: Twist in Noida dowry murder case, Nikki Bhati's sister-in-law reveals the reality of 'beggar' family
The Noida dowry death case has now taken a dramatic turn. New allegations have been levelled against the victim's family. Nikki Bhati's sister-in-law has alleged that she, too, was tortured for dowry
National Herald Case: Rahul Gandhi to appear before ED today in money laundering case, security increased
Former Congress President and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi will appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in a money laundering case related to the National Herald. Because of Rahul's
