Champions Trophy 2025: India will be wary of New Zealand’s spin triple-threat in Dubai on Sunday. (AP)
Having brushed aside Bangladesh and Pakistan to confirm their semifinal berth in the Champions Trophy, India have their task cut out on Sunday when they face their nemesis New Zealand. On paper, New Zealand appears a mirror-image of India – a strong batting line-up with a good mix of left-handers and right-handers; a minimum of four all-rounders in the XI; three lethal quicks; and depth in both batting and bowling. In short, New Zealand has all their bases covered.
However, more than fast bowlers Will O’Rourke, Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson, who all have troubled Indians in the past, there are three key men that could prove to be stumbling blocks for Rohit Sharma & Co.
– Mitchell Santner, a bespectacled left-arm spinner, who hardly gets to bowl at his home venue in Hamilton and at times even walks out as an opener in white-ball fixtures. Famously bowled a clutch spell against India at Manchester to choke them in the 2019 World Cup semi-finals. Now the captain of the side, like his idol Daniel Vettori.
– Michael Bracewell, the latest player from the Bracewell cricketing lineage, he was a late bloomer but has established himself as a mainstay in the side with his batting prowess and off-breaks and is among the leading spinners in this tournament, picking up five wickets at an average of 12.80.
– Glenn Phillips, a wannabe pilot who loves adventure sports, these days he is busy diving across fields grabbing stunning catches and saving runs in the circle. He is also a designated finisher. And in sub-continental conditions, his off-spin is more than handy in the middle overs.
By now, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that New Zealand were the first team to make the semi-finals. In the flatbeds of Pakistan, where bowlers have had a hard time to keep the scoring rate down, New Zealand have been exceptional with the ball. Their three spinners may not have any mystery element in them and all three happen to be finger-spinners but they have aced the conditions, which have been offering minimum turn.
If Bracewell has gone at 3.20 runs an over, Santner has conceded at 5.50. Phillips has been the most expensive of the lot, going at 6.63, but still good numbers for someone who started off as a wicket-keeper.
With the pitches offering little help, they have fallen back on their experience of bowling in far more challenging conditions back home. In an earlier interaction with the daily, Santner had said how they rely on creating angles with different trajectories, slowing the pace down and mixing it up to keep batsmen guessing. It is what they have done so far. And they will have to do it again when they play the semi-finals at Lahore.
New Zealand’s Michael Bracewell, center, chats with Glenn Phillips during the Champions match against Bangladesh. (AP)
But before all that, with the chances of them coming back to Dubai for the final remaining bright, they have an opportunity to get used to the conditions here. “The wickets here have looked like they’ve taken a bit of a spin. We’ve got our first training today so it’ll be good to try and get used to the wickets as quickly as we can. We’ve obviously enjoyed the pitches in Pakistan and I think we’ve got a pretty well-balanced side to play in any conditions so hopefully we can continue to do that and adjust to what’s in front of us. I think the strength of our side is adjusting to the surface. So hopefully we continue to do that as a side,” Bracewell said.
In Dubai, the spinners have got enough purchase off the pitch, which has offered them good grip and bounce. Only four months ago, in similar conditions in India, they gave Rohit Sharma’s team a hiding in a Test series. Bracewell, of course, missed the tour with injury, but with his classic, old-school off-breaks, he would test Indian batsmen who regularly struggle against tweakers in these types of slow pitches.
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And it won’t just be the middle-overs where the Kiwi spinners will be hoping to leave a mark. With India having a habit of making the most out of batting powerplay, Santner – arguably the best new-ball spinner around — could fancy having a go straightaway, particularly with Rachin Ravindra also around as a left-arm spin option in the middle-overs to go with Bracewell and Phillips.“We’ve got a lot of experience in our spin bowling group with Santner leading the way there and he’s a great person to talk to around. We work really closely as a spin bowling unit with GP (Phillips) there as well and of course Rach (Ravindra) to find out what’s actually challenging on that surface and perhaps set fields accordingly as well,” Bracewell said.
Amid all the noise from opposition camps over India getting to play all their matches in Dubai, New Zealand have remained unfazed about it. Including their semi-finals at Lahore on Wednesday, they would be playing each of their matches in four different venues. “Oh look, it is what it is. It has been decided and that’s the way that it is and there’s no point dwelling on that. It is part of what makes it exciting,” Bracewell said.
With a rounded attack they have horses for all types of courses.
