Dubai: When India take on New Zealand in the final of the Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, Indian fans may not anticipate an easy victory over the Kiwis. Mitchell Santner-led side’s recent performance in the ICC championships and their record over India will be a cause for worry.
India and New Zealand have been the two consistent teams in ICC men’s events since the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Of the 13 tournaments held since then, India have reached the knockouts 11 times, winning just two titles — the 2024 T-20 World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. They have lost five finals, including the ICC Test Championship to New Zealand in 2021. Meanwhile, New Zealand reached the knockouts eight times, including four final appearances, but they only managed to win against India.
The last time the two teams met in a Champions Trophy final was in 2000, when the tournament was called the ICC Knockout Tournament, where New Zealand lifted the trophy, defeating India by four wickets.
India do not favour anything less than a victory in the final on Sunday. India have played all their matches at the same venue, the Dubai International Stadium, where the final is also being held. The team refused to travel to Pakistan for the tournament, citing security reasons, forcing the ICC to conduct all their matches at a neutral venue.
Controversy has already been ignited with South Africa’s David Miller blaming the ICC for scheduling the event in a way that favours one team. He said it was unfair to other teams, making them travel long hours to play India. Criticism has also emerged from various corners that India are getting an undue advantage by playing at a single venue. Captain Rohit Sharma and Head Coach Gautam Gambhir quickly dismissed any such claims, saying that there was no undue advantage as they are playing on different pitches in each match. However, pacer Mohammed Shami gave a contrasting opinion, claiming that playing in the same conditions turns the tide in favour of India.
Controversy has already been ignited with South Africa’s David Miller blaming the ICC for scheduling the event in a way that favours one team. He said it was unfair to other teams, making them travel long hours to play India. Criticism has also emerged from various corners that India are getting an undue advantage by playing at a single venue. Captain Rohit Sharma and Head Coach Gautam Gambhir quickly dismissed any such claims, saying that there was no undue advantage as they are playing on different pitches in each match. However, pacer Mohammed Shami gave a contrasting opinion, claiming that playing in the same conditions turns the tide in favour of India.
The pitch for the final is the same one on which India played against Pakistan. In that match too, Jadeja, Axar and Kuldeep kept Pakistan under check.
New Zealand, on the other hand, has four spin options, including skipper Santner and Michael Bracewell. In the pace department, New Zealand’s key bowler, Matt Henry, picked up a small injury during the semifinal against South Africa. Santner said the team would take a final call on him after the final training session on the day of the match. Henry dismissed five Indian batsmen during their last meeting and is the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 10 wickets.
Meanwhile, India’s hopes rely almost entirely on Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya. Shami is chasing Henry to become the leading wicket-taker, with eight wickets to his credit. Pandya, who picked up a slight niggle while batting in the semifinal against Australia, is key for India as his all-round skills allow India to go in with four spinning options. He also provides the late order flourish, which allows Axar to bat up the order, giving the team a left-right batting combination.
Kane Williamson is the man India has to watch out for if they decide to play with four spinners. Williamson single-handedly took on Indian spinners in their last match and made an impressive 81 runs. Rachin Ravindra also poses a threat to Indian bowlers, having scored his second century in the tournament in the semifinal to take New Zealand to a whopping 362 runs against South Africa. He will be hungry to prove his prowess against India after his early dismissals in the group stage match.
India batters, already familiar with the conditions, will have little to worry about. Rohit Sharma’s form is what concerns the team the most. His early dismissals trying to get the ball over the boundary have already drawn criticism from various quarters. Sunil Gavaskar said that Rohit needs to bat longer, till 25 overs, for India to score a big total. His early dismissals are affecting the team’s performance and putting pressure on others, Gavaskar said.
Shubman Gill is providing India with a solid start, which is continued by Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. The middle order is also performing consistently, leaving little room for Gambhir to worry.
Whoever wins the toss may choose to field first, considering the favorable conditions offered to spin bowling. But if captain Rohit loses the toss again, it will be his record 12th loss in a row, while India have not won the toss in their previous 15 matches.
