March 7, 2025: New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has praised the exceptional performances of Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra in their commanding win over South Africa in the second semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy. Williamson’s brilliant 102 off 94 balls and Ravindra’s 108 off 101 propelled the Black Caps to a formidable total of 362/6, setting up a dominant victory.
Upon arriving in Dubai for the Champions Trophy final against India, Santner spoke to reporters about the duo’s incredible displays at the crease. “Kane played an exceptional knock alongside Rachin. The intent they showed was outstanding. Scoring at six runs per over was quite comfortable, especially with the ramps and scoops they executed,” Santner said.
He went on to highlight Ravindra’s fearless approach: “Rachin is playing with great freedom, expressing his natural game, and it was pretty cool to watch. Performances like these certainly make our job as bowlers a little easier.”
Williamson’s century made him the highest run-scorer for New Zealand in Champions Trophy history and the first to cross the 19,000 international runs milestone for his country. It was his third consecutive hundred against South Africa, becoming the first batter from New Zealand and the first player ever to achieve the feat against the Proteas in ODI cricket.
On the other hand, the young southpaw Ravindra celebrated his fifth ODI century, with all of his landmark scores coming in ICC tournaments. His incredible consistency in such high-pressure events has earned him a remarkable batting average of 67.00 in ICC ODI tournaments, the highest among 80 batters with a minimum of 750 runs in these tournaments. In just 13 innings, Ravindra has accumulated 804 runs, including two fifties and five hundreds.
Santner’s comments reflect the growing confidence and momentum of the New Zealand team as they head into the final, with Williamson and Ravindra’s performances putting them in a strong position for the ultimate showdown with India.