New Delhi, March 8: The ICC Champions Trophy final will be played between India and New Zealand at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. The Rohit Sharma-led undefeated side will be eyeing their third title, while New Zealand will look to add their second Champions Trophy title after winning the tournament in 2000.

India have come out as a dominant side in the eight-team spectacle as they are 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, while 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.

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.

When: Sunday, March 9

Where: Dubai International Stadium

Time: The match will start at 2:30 pm IST, while the toss will take place at 2 pm.

Broadcast details: The match will be televised on the Star Sports network in India.

Live streaming details: The match will be available live on the JioHotstar app and website in India.

Squads:

India: 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.

New Zealand: 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.

New Delhi, March 8: In the 2025 Champions Trophy, India wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has carved a reputation for turning the game in his side’s favour via his guile and variations. With India -coach Lalchand Rajput feels all eyes will be on how the Blackcaps batters stand up to the challenge posed by Chakaravarthy’s wizardry.

In the Group A clash between the two teams last week in Dubai, which India won by 44 runs, Chakaravarthy bamboozled them with his variations to pick 5-42, as the Indian spin quartet accounted for nine wickset to face New Zealand in the title clash in Dubai on Sunday, former cricketer-turnedets. In the semi-final against Australia, Chakaravarthy took two wickets, including dangerous Travis Head in the first power-play.

But with Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson coming into the final on the back of scoring stellar centuries in the semi-final against South Africa in Lahore, the Blackcaps batters versus Chakaravarthy match-up shapes up as a significant match-defining clash.

“It will be a good contest, to be very honest, because as we all know he is a mystery spinner. But New Zealand players have played him in the IPL as well like, Conway, then Rachin Ravindra and even Williamson. So, they have a little bit of idea of how he bowls. But in a big match like this, he is definitely a mystery spinner, because if you try to take him on, you are bound to get out at some stage or another,” said Rajput in an exclusive conversation with media from Dubai.

He also feels the other Indian spinners – Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja – will be handy in keeping New Zealand on a tight leash. “But sometimes you might get away, and that is the area where I think we are one step ahead because we have got two spinners like that – Kuldeep and Varun Chakaravarthy. Kuldeep is the other way chinaman, but I think he is also a difficult customer for a batter to really take him on.”

“Then we have got two left-arm spinners (Axar and Jadeja) who really bowl tight. They will just keep the batsmen tight under pressure, and then when that happens, they try to take on other bowlers, and that’s where we get wickets. So, that’s the area where I think we are really one step ahead than other teams.”

In the eight-team competition, New Zealand are the only team closest to India’s spin-bowling resources, led by captain and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, followed by Ravindra, Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell. Rajput, though, thinks Santner will be under more pressure as the Blackcaps will be largely dependent on him to succeed in the final.

“Santner is one of the best spinners they have, that’s for sure. Ravindra also bowls and Bracewell is also there. But I think our batsmen take him on as again, the matchup starts, because some batsmen will take like Shreyas Iyer and all those, they take Bracewell on. Santner, I think, Axar Patel, he takes him on.”

“I still feel that our bowling spinners have got much edge over their bowling. Yes, they have got world-class bowler in Santner. But it depends too much on him because there’s so much pressure on him than our bowlers, because we have got four spinners to bowl at.”

“So, that will be a plus point for Indian spinners that we will be one step ahead of them, because to negotiate four spinners on that pitch where it is little bit on the slower side, it will be difficult for the batsmen.”

There is still a bit of doubt on pacer Matt Henry’s availability, after he injured his right shoulder while taking a catch in Lahore. Henry had picked 5-42 against India in Dubai, and Rajput thinks his absence will be advantageous to the Rohit Sharma-led side.

“He is one of the bowlers who bowls with a good pace and he mixes up well. He got good bouncer, and good yorker as well. Then he bowls a slower one too. If you look at the last game as well, on a slow wicket, he took fifer, and that shows the quality of his bowling as well. If it’s not that, definitely, they will miss him badly. Another thing is that it will be advantage to the Indian batting,” he concluded.

Dubai, March 8: Ahead of the Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand, former India head coach Ravi Shastri issued a word of caution for the Rohit Sharma-led side which is chasing their third title in the tournament.

Despite India having an unbeaten record in the four matches so far including a group stage win against New Zealand, Shastri feels Blackcaps is the only team that can beat them.

The veteran player is not wrong in his assessment as New Zealand prevailed over India in the ICC knockouts in the past, having won three out of four games played between them over the years.

“If there’s one team that can beat India, it’s New Zealand. So India start as favourites but only just,” Shastri said in The ICC Review.

Shastri picked three all-rounders – Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Glenn Phillips – for the Player of the Match accolade in the summit clash.

“Player of the Match, I would go for an all-rounder. I’ll say Axar Patel or Ravindra Jadeja from India. From New Zealand, I think that Glenn Phillips has something up. He might just show flashes of brilliance in the field. He might come and smash a cameo of 40, 50 and probably surprise you by taking a wicket or two,” he said.

Shastri predicted that Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra would play pivotal roles on Sunday if their teams were to claim the title.

Both Williamson and Kohli have been in stellar form, each scoring a century and a fifty in their four matches. Ravindra, too, has been exceptional, registering two centuries, including a Player of the Match-winning knock against South Africa in the semi-final.

“Now (on) current form, Kohli. When these guys get hot and you let them get their first 10 runs, then they’re trouble. Whether it’s Williamson, whether it’s Kohli,” Shastri said.

“So from New Zealand, I would say Williamson. To an extent, Rachin Ravindra, he is a fabulous young player. But these guys when they smell the coffee and you let them, in a final, get to that 10-15, then they’re doubly dangerous.”

With the final set to take place in Dubai – a venue that has assisted spinners throughout the tournament – Shastri was asked if either team might tweak their playing XI, particularly New Zealand, who lost their group-stage clash against India at the same ground.

“I won’t be surprised if there might be a change for either side depending on the pitch. Because the pitch we saw against Australia was the best pitch we’ve seen in the tournament,” Shastri said.

“So the groundsman has another five days since the last game to prepare a surface and if it’s a 280-300 surface like the last one was, you might just want to think about it. But you won’t tinker with the side unless necessary.”