Everything points to India as Champions Trophy final approaches
Context:
The final is here and without a doubt it is the two best sides that have made it to the end. No matter what is said about India stacking the deck in their favour by getting to play all their games out of Dubai, they are still an incredibly good team. New Zealand too deserves to be in the final.
Both these teams came through Group A with India finish top and New Zealand second. The Kiwi’s only loss was against India in their final game of pool action.
Because of India’s refusal to play in Pakistan the final will take place in Dubai at what has essentially become a home ground for Rohit Sharma’s side. As much as India will argue that it is a neutral venue it is fair to say that they will be very well supported by the crowd as they play the game on a wicket and in a stadium with which they are intimately familiar. New Zealand have at least played one game at the venue.
When the sides met in pool play it was a close game – the Black Caps restricted India to a reasonable score of 249 with Matt Henry claiming five for 42. But the Kiwis couldn’t quite get the run chase right as they fell to 205 all out with Kane Williamson score a solid 81. Reflecting on the previous encounter Williamson said that New Zealand had learned from it. Speaking to the ICC he said: “For us, it was nice to have that last match against India. There’re some really good bits there. India are an outstanding team and are playing really well. So, look, it’s important we try and take away some learnings from that last game.”
New Zealand’s Matt Henry is the leading wicket taker in the tournament, but he may be unavailable to play in the final after injuring himself in the field against South Africa. He went off for a couple of overs after hurting his shoulder but did come back to bowl again. Word from inside the Kiwi camp is that a late decision will be made on his fitness. His loss would be a big blow.
New Zealand v India | Champions Trophy Final | Sunday 9 March 2025 | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 11:00am
Venue: Dubai
Sunday’s venue will be spin friendly. The pitch is slow, and it offers some turn, while the outfield is big which plays in the favour of the spinners. No rain is predicted, and the temperature should be moderate. In the previous games played at the venue the pitch has tended to slow down as the game has gone on, which could well mean that whoever wins the toss bats first.
Recent form (most recent game first):
India: W, W, W, W, W.
New Zealand: W, L, W, W, W.
Key players:
India: Virat Kohli
It looked for a while like Kohli’s best days were well and truly behind him as he lost his form and his air of invincibility. But that is all back. He has a look of focus in his eyes, and he is playing with belief. His ODI average is an outrageous 58.11 while his average for the tournament is 72.3. He is a man in form. New Zealand managed to dismiss him for just 11 in their pool game and they will be desperate to get him out early again. The only problem is India’s extraordinary batting depth – Sharma’s side
head into the final with four of their batters in the ICC’s current top ten: Shubman Gill (1), Kohli (4), Sharma (5) and Shreyas Iyer (8). That is quite an impressive top four!
New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra
The man who led the way as the Black Caps eliminated South Africa from the tournament, Ravindra is a key player for New Zealand. He averages 44 in ODI’s and with two centuries from his last three games (he made 108 and 112 against South Africa and Bangladesh respectively) he is a man in form. Ravindra offers a little bit of everything – excellence in the field and the ability to offer something with the ball. On a track that is expected to offer turn and assistance to the spinners, the fact that Ravindra has best ODI figures of four for 60, suggest that he could have a role to play wit the ball as well.
Much like India though, the New Zealand batting line-up is deep. Ravindra aside there is Kane Williamson who averages 49.47, the ICC’s seventh ranked ODI batsman Daryl Mitchell and other like Will Young, Tom Latham and South Africa-born Glenn Phillips.
Verdict: India
The deck is stacked in India’s favour, and it will be a real coup for the Kiwis if they can bag a result. The rest of the cricketing world is likely to be rooting for New Zealand, but the fans inside the stadium will be vocally in favour of India, as will their knowledge of the conditions and lack of travel fatigue. The one thing that may count against India is the psychology of the situation. Coach Gautam Gambhir has already reacted very defensively to being told India has an advantage – if the players don’t believe they are playing on a level field they may just underperform.
