India and New Zealand will square off in the Champions Trophy final in Dubai on March 9.
The Kiwis were dominant in all the games they played in Pakistan and gave India a tough fight in the group-stage match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Ahead of the final in Dubai on Sunday (March 9), New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner said that they are drawing motivation from that earlier performance.
"Being there in Dubai and putting India under pressure gave us confidence. You take in what things work and what doesn't. I think the bowlers bowled well to chip wickets at the top. I think winning the toss will be nice as well," Santner told reporters after New Zealand's 50-run win over South Africa in the semi-final.
New Zealand had suffered a 44-run defeat at the hands of India in their last group match on March 2 in Dubai.
"It's a cool feeling to make the final. We were challenged by a good side. We've had a go against India, look forward to do it again," Santner said.
Veteran batter Kane Williamson scored 81 against India in that game, and followed that up with a masterful 102 off 94 balls against South Africa in the semi-final. His 164-run stand for the second wicket with young Rachin Ravindra (108 off 101 balls) propelled the Black Caps to a mammoth 362/6 in 50 overs.
"Williamson keeps doing it. That partnership was massive, might've been frustrated a touch at times, but they flipped the switch earlier and got us to 360. Looking back, 320 might not have been enough," Santner stated.
Meanwhile, Williamson has stressed that his side will not be paying too much attention to India’s familiarity with the Dubai ground ahead of the Champions Trophy final, citing it as something beyond their control.
Williamson wants his team to perform well regardless of the venue, while also acknowledging that India can be a threat in any conditions.
"Yeah definitely the conditions are a lot different but you know that's sort of the nature of the beast I think in any tournament that you have, conditions change a little bit throughout. For us, it was nice to have that last match against India. There's some really good bits there. India are an outstanding team and playing really well. So, look, it's important we try and take away some learnings from that last game. Park this match, and in a final, anything can happen. And it was a great atmosphere last game and I'm sure it'll be a good one again," Williamson said.
"It is what it is (India playing in Dubai). Our focus is the next match, the location of that match, the opposition, they're all factors. Obviously, we played India there once. The conditions are different, so it's important that we try and take away some of those positives and be nice and clear in how we're trying to operate come two- or three-days’ time in the final. It's the nature of it and we're looking forward to the final and excited about it," he added.