The Aryavarth Express
Ahmedabad (Gujarat): Extensive security arrangements have been put in place in Ahmedabad ahead of the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup between India national cricket team and New Zealand national cricket team at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP), Sector-1, Ahmedabad City, Neeraj Kumar Badgujar said that a large security deployment has been arranged to ensure smooth conduct of the high-profile match.
“More than 121 police officers and over 2,000 police personnel will be deployed. Special barricades have been installed at gate numbers 1 and 2 where large crowds are expected. Police officers will be stationed there to ensure spectators do not face any inconvenience,” Badgujar told.
He added that over 300 CCTV cameras have been installed across the stadium to monitor security and match arrangements. Special provisions have also been made for VVIP security, while traffic police will be deployed in large numbers across key roads around the stadium to manage vehicular movement.
Going into the final, India will be aiming to achieve several milestones, including becoming the first team to successfully defend a T20 World Cup title, the first host nation to win the tournament, and the first side to claim three T20 World Cup trophies.
For New Zealand, the challenge will be to contain India’s formidable batting line-up and counter the precision bowling of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
Both teams reached the final through contrasting routes. New Zealand entered the summit clash after an impressive semi-final performance against South Africa national cricket team, restricting them to 169/8 before chasing the target in just 12.5 overs with nine wickets in hand. The victory was powered by a sensational 33-ball century from Finn Allen, the fastest hundred in the history of the T20 World Cup.
India, who were unbeaten in the group stage, suffered their only setback against South Africa in the opening Super Eight match. However, they bounced back strongly in the semi-final against England national cricket team, posting a massive 253/7 before restricting England to seven runs short in a high-scoring contest.
Historically, New Zealand have had the upper hand over India in T20 World Cup encounters, winning all three previous meetings in 2007, 2016 and 2021. However, India recently dominated a bilateral T20I series at home, securing a convincing 4–1 victory.
Squads:
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav.
