3 min readMar 7, 2026 05:47 PM IST
India will play an ICC tournament final at Ahmedabad for the second time in the space of three years. The last time the team played here had to deal with heartbreak as they lost to Australia in the final over of the World Cup. Although a different opposition awaits India in the form of New Zealand, the co-hosts have had their fair share of issues facing the blackcaps in ICC knockouts in the past. Former Indian cricketer Piyush Chawla believes that it is an occasion to control the emotions for the Indian side.
“You just have to go out there, control your emotions and express yourself. Because it’s very important when there are so many people around and so many think that you’re going to win the game. You are the favourites, and that tag also brings a little bit of pressure,” Chawla told JioStar.
“And the butterflies, if someone says they’re not there, is totally wrong. Once you enter the field and the whole crowd is behind you, cheering for you, gives you motivation. It’s the same feeling that you have to do something special. And when every player thinks that way, that we have to do something special, the whole team comes together,” he explained.
“It’s not only about the eleven who are playing, even the players who are outside and not part of the playing XI, even the support staff, when everyone comes together, it becomes like a brute force,” he said.
Chawla also spoke on Sanju Samson who played a crucial role against the West Indies in the final Super 8 game and also played a lovely knock against England in the semis. “The game against the West Indies was a virtual quarter-final, and the way Sanju Samson played that innings while chasing 195 in a pressure situation, he made it look so easy. That’s the beauty of his batting. And again, against England, he came in to bat and made sure he was hitting every ball. We all know Wankhede brings a lot to the table for the batters, so you have to try and convert even the balls that are not there to hit into boundary balls,” Chawla said.
