The cricketing world is set to witness a thrilling encounter as India and New Zealand gear up for the ICC Champions Trophy final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian side, undefeated in the tournament, is eyeing their third title, while New Zealand is looking to add their second Champions Trophy title after winning the tournament in 2000. India has been a dominant force in the eight-team spectacle, cruising on a winning momentum with four straight wins, including a four-wicket triumph over Australia in the semifinal.
The Men in Blue topped Group A with wins over Bangladesh, arch-rivals Pakistan, and New Zealand. On the other hand, the Black Caps secured wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh before losing their final group tie against India. New Zealand outclassed South Africa by 50 runs in the semifinal to set up a title match against India. Historically, India and New Zealand have clashed four times in ICC knockout matches, with the Blackcaps holding a dominant 3-1 edge over the Men in Blue.
Their encounters include the 2000 Champions Trophy final, the 2019 and 2023 World Cup semifinals, and the 2021 World Test Championship final. India's only success came in their most recent meeting, the 2023 World Cup semifinal. New Zealand claimed their maiden ICC title by defeating India in the 2000 Champions Trophy final, chasing down 265, powered by Chris Cairns's match-winning century. They repeated history in 2021, beating India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final to secure their second and most recent ICC event.
In 119 matches played between them in ODIs, India have won 61 while New Zealand have registered victories in 50 games. One ODI match between them resulted in a tie, while seven games have ended in no result. The match will start at 2:30 pm IST, while the toss will take place at 2 pm. The match will be televised on the Star Sports network in India and will be available live on the JioHotstar app and website in India.
The Indian squad includes Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Rishabh Pant. The New Zealand squad includes Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, William O'Rourke, Nathan Smith, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy.
India will start the game as favourites but New Zealand would be no walkovers. New Zealand have troubled India in the past in ICC matches, and they'd look to add more misery to them on Sunday. India though have a better team given the conditions, and if they play well, it should be tough for New Zealand to get over them.
The surface that was used in the India vs. Pakistan match will be used for the final, and it should favor the spinners. There has not been much dew in the evening, so chasing could get tough if the team sets a big score batting first. India and New Zealand have played five knockout matches in ICC events, and New Zealand have won three matches while India won two games. New Zealand wins came in the 2000 Champions Trophy final, the 2019 World Cup semifinal, and the WTC. India, on the other hand, defeated New Zealand in the 2000 Champions Trophy quarterfinal and the 2023 World Cup semifinal.
India playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai was a pre-tournament decision, and talk of it giving India an unfair advantage is baseless, the team's batting coach says as he blasts back against the criticism. India refused to tour hosts Pakistan in the eight-nation tournament due to political tensions and were given Dubai as their venue in the United Arab Emirates.
The Indian cricket team physio staff attended the 36-year-old Virat Kohli as he stopped training after getting hit near his knee. Physio staff applied spray and wrapped up the injured area with a bandage. Despite getting hit, Kohli stayed on the ground watching other players practice while reassuring the support staff about his condition. The management has confirmed that Kohli would be fit to feature in the summit clash. This is a significant relief for the Indian team, as Kohli's presence in the middle order is crucial for the team's batting line-up.
