New Zealand’s captain Mitch Santner, center, greets India’s captain Rohit Sharma after the coin toss ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between India and New Zealand at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
In Sunday’s ICC Champions Trophy final, India will face New Zealand, a side that will give them a stiff challenge. Having already played India at the venue last Sunday, New Zealand know what to expect in terms of conditions, which South Africa wouldn’t have had, if they had made it. The Indian Express takes a look at the reasons that make New Zealand a strong side to overcome in the final.
Spin in the tale
If there is any team in the Champions Trophy that could match or come close to India in terms of spin bowling resources, it is the Kiwis. Led by left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, they have three other spin bowling options in Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra. So in terms of variety in the spin department, they have their bases covered. In their group match, India came out prepared to deal with them and emerged successful. But this time, New Zealand will come back fully aware of what exactly to do in these conditions. With the final set to be played on the same pitch that was used for India’s game against Pakistan, the Kiwi spinners will have a big role to play.
Pace value
What caught India by surprise against the Kiwis was the movement their seamers were able to generate with the new ball. In the other three matches that India have played here, seam movement has been non-existent. But against Kiwis, it was different. Part of it can be attributed to the height of their pacers – who are all tall – and because they bowl a good length and there is more air time, there is more chance of movement in the air. To go with their movement, the extra bounce that they generate has also troubled India’s top order in recent times across all formats in ICC events. India need to come up with a definite plan to counter this as runs in the first Powerplay are crucial.
- 01
Gun fielding
As they showed last Sunday with their fielding, New Zealand are capable of saving 30-40 runs in the field. If that isn’t enough, they often convert half-chances into catches. In any other team, the likes of Santner, Will Young and Michael Bracewell could be considered top fielders, but here they have Glenn Phillips, who can change the course of the game with his exceptional fielding. With all their best fielders in the ring when the spinners operate, they can apply pressure by cutting off singles. And if the ball is anywhere in their range, they dive around to take blinders. So India know they have to earn every run, and that in itself adds to the pressure.
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Batting depth
Like India, the Black Caps have a batting line-up well suited to the conditions. Though they didn’t quite pull it off during their chase on Sunday, they have the quality to not be written off. In Rachin, Young and Kane Williamson, they have a top three that can not just provide rapid starts, but also hang around long enough to build a base for the middle order. While most teams have struggled against India’s spinners, the Kiwis can change that trend thanks to the likes of Tom Latham, Daryll Mitchell and Phillips, who are all good against tweakers. The other night, they were undone by a special performance from Varun Chakaravarthy, but come Sunday they will be prepared.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
