"I was eight years old at the time" - New Zealand batter revisits fond memories of 2000 Champions Trophy triumph ahead of 2025 final

New Zealand opener Will Young is excited over the prospect of the current Kiwi side emulating the 2000 Champions Trophy win over India. Revisiting memories of the famous triumph, Young said that he was only eight at that time and had just begun to fall in love with cricket.

India and New Zealand will lock horns in the 2025 Champions Trophy final in Dubai on Sunday, March 9. The two sides have met in finals of ICC tournaments twice, with the Kiwis emerging victorious on both occasions. New Zealand beat India in the 2000 Champions Trophy final as well as the 2021 World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Speaking on the eve of the 2025 Champions Trophy final, Young jogged down memory lane and revisited New Zealand's famous win over India 25 years ago. Excited over the prospect of an encore, he said (as quoted by PTI):

"There were some iconic names in that squad and those are the ones plenty of guys in this squad looked up to back in the day. It is cool to be trying to achieve the same thing 25 years later. I was eight years old at the time and just starting to fall in love with the game. I am well aware of New Zealand's exploits in that tournament and it was fantastic to see them win.

The 32-year-old also opened up about the New Zealand team's interaction with Scott Styris, one of the members of the 2000 Champions Trophy triumph, ahead of the ongoing tournament. The right-handed batter added:

"I'm thinking back to before we boarded the plane to come over here, we had an unveiling of the Champions Trophy squad. Scott Styris was there that day and told a few stories about the team and their exploits in that tournament. It was cool to recognize the past and that New Zealand has done this before. It is just about passing the baton and hopefully we can emulate them."

New Zealand stunned favorites India by four wickets in the 2000 Champions Trophy final in Nairobi. Batting first, the Men in Blue put up 264-6 on the board as skipper Sourav Ganguly led from the front with 117 off 130 balls. Chris Cairns' unbeaten 102 off 113 balls, however, guided the Kiwis to a historic win.

---

Young's stats for New Zealand in the 2025 Champions Trophy

In four innings in the 2025 Champions Trophy, Young has scored 150 runs at an average of 37.50 and a strike rate of 84.74. The opening batter began the tournament with an impressive 107 off 113 balls against Pakistan in Karachi. The knock featured 12 fours and a six.

In his last three innings, though, Young has failed to make an impact, registering scores of 0 against Bangladesh, 22 against India, and 21 in the semifinal against South Africa in Lahore. Thus, he will be keen to deliver the goods in the final against the Men in Blue on Sunday.