We lost to a better side today: Santner

Dubai: New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner had no qualms in admitting that his team lost to a “better” Indian side in the final of the Champions Trophy here on Sunday.

Set a target of 252, India completed the chase with six balls to spare after

Rohit Sharma’s fluent 76 and excellent bowling by Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy.

“It’s been a good tournament. We have been challenged along the way and the way we have grown as a group. We lost to a better side today. Everyone contributed to the tournament and put their hands up at different times,” Santner said at the presentation ceremony.

The New Zealand bowlers fought back well to take the game deep after Rohit and Shubman Gill powered India past 100 in quick time.

But before that, it was the turn of the Indian spinners to stifle the Kiwis after a very encouraging start by Rachin Ravindra.