Champions Trophy 2025 Final: IND vs NZ Preview, Predicted XI, Dubai Pitch Report & Rohit Sharma’s Role
Champions Trophy Final: On Sunday, India and New Zealand square off in a match that will test their strategy and fortitude. March 9.Will Rohit's 'new-age' ODI template prove to be more effective than Santner's?
Ankush Pandey
INTRO
- India will play New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final.
- Kane Williamson and Rohit Sharma may be playing their final ODI match.
- It is anticipated that the Dubai pitch will be slow once more.
The Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand is scheduled for Sunday, March 9. Rohit Sharma's legacy as the Indian team's captain may be determined by the highly anticipated championship match. As one of the best batters in the history of the game, Rohit is a formidable force in both ODIs and T20Is. He would, however, become a legend if he were to win the Champions Trophy while serving as captain.
Rohit has cultivated a fearless attitude that eradicates the fear of failure since assuming the captaincy in the later years of his career. Indian white-ball cricket has surely been transformed by this mentality, which has also assisted the team in overcoming its 2021 and 2022 losses.
Eoin Morgan's England won the World Cup in 2019 thanks to Rohit's efforts to bring India up to speed with the fast-paced nature of contemporary white-ball cricket.
Many would counter that a legacy is not defined solely by style. A captain's legacy in the wider cricket community is frequently determined by how many ICC titles they have won. Rohit wants to be like Ricky Ponting, MS Dhoni, and Clive Lloyd, who are at the top of that legacy chart. The final on Sunday might be his final chance to do so in the 50-over format.
His personal batting statistics have certainly suffered as a result of his all-or-nothing strategy at the top of the order, but he hasn't seemed to care because he knows that his main responsibility is to set the tone for the team. With three double hundreds in ODIs, Rohit was once a prolific run scorer. However, he has since repositioned himself as an impact player who can destroy the opposition's spirit in the first ten overs.
In this new era of Indian cricket, Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir both value impact over volume, so this philosophy fits in perfectly with their vision. India won their first T20 World Cup since 2007 in 2024 under Rohit's captaincy.
He has another chance to guide India to a significant ODI victory after coming devastatingly close in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
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In many respects, winning the Champions Trophy would validate the Indian team's Rohit-inspired DNA in the 50-over format and demonstrate that the 2023 ODI World Cup final loss was only a minor setback in an otherwise extraordinary journey.
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Mitchell Santner is in front of Rohit; he has also been given the captaincy for the last third of his career. Santner, 33, is captaining in his first-ever ICC final. He is a seasoned spinner who is frequently underappreciated and knows every trick in the book to upset the system.
Kane Williamson, who may be playing his final game in the format, is another stalwart who supports Santner. Currently working as a freelancer for the New Zealand team, Williamson may decide not to continue until 2027, the year of the next ODI World Cup. In the final match against India, Williamson, 34, may be inspired to give it his all after suffering numerous injuries over the previous four years.
That level of intensity has also been present in his play. Williamson kept the Kiwis in the game for a long time against India. He could have won the game if he had gotten some help. In the semi-final, Williamson escalated the pressure on South Africa after losing the previous group-stage match against India. He took calculated risks against the Proteas bowlers and hit an incredible 102 off 94 balls.
The innings demonstrated Williamson's desperate attempt to win a 50-over championship after losing the 2019 and 2023 ODI World Cups.
India Are Selectively Aggressive
Desperation isn't always a good thing, though. Shubman Gill thinks that desperation can actually be detrimental. Desperation can occasionally cause a loss of focus, according to India's vice captain, who made this statement prior to the final in Dubai.
He told reporters on the eve of the final, "I think that sometimes, once you get one title, that kind of breaks the jinx." "It helps you gain momentum and makes you less anxious about winning the next title. A state of desperation is not good. The event then becomes difficult to forget," he continued.
A minor shift in strategy within the Indian team is also reflected in Shubman's remarks. It is not the kitchen sink that India has thrown at it. They have played to the music of the pitch and have been shrewd in their strategy.
Consider the fact that Kohli has put more faith in his singles than in his boundaries, and that strategy has been ideal for the circumstances at the Dubai International Stadium.
“The pitch tells me how the cricket needs to be played, and then I just switch on and play accordingly,” Kohli said following India's semi-final match against Australia. This was the most poetic way for him to describe his mindset.
Since we stated at the outset that Rohit Sharma would be desperate to win an ICC 50-over championship, let's just look at a few of his stats.
Cricket fans are aware that during the 2023 ODI World Cup, Rohit Sharma set the standard for his style of play by playing extremely aggressively. He played the entire tournament at that fast pace. Actually, in six of ten games during the 2023 ODI World Cup, Rohit scored at a strike rate higher than 130.
Later, in the Sri Lanka series (2024), he continued to use that template, scoring 130 SR in two of the three games. Remember, the circumstances in that Sri Lanka series were more difficult than those in the Champions Trophy.
Then the slump struck. During the Test series against Australia and New Zealand, both Rohit and Virat Kohli's performances suffered and they lost confidence.
The two lost their gung-ho, aggressive style when they returned in 2025 for the ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy. As they battled for form, Rohit and Kohli were considerably more composed.
Only once this season, against England in the second ODI at Cuttack, has Rohit scored more than 130 runs in an innings. Even during that innings, Rohit was extremely cautious when hitting the new ball and only began to hit after he had a clear view of it, which was around the seventh over.
Battle of Spinners
In the Champions Trophy Final, the spinners will undoubtedly make the difference. In the pre-game press conference, both sides agreed that the natural character of the pitch will not change, even if the game is played on a new surface, which may not be the case.
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The tournament's most spinners have been carried by India. In their last two games, they have actually used four spinners. According to a summary of the India vs. New Zealand match, Varun Chakravarthy slaughtered the Kiwis' lower order while taking five wickets.
New Zealand, however, cannot be disregarded. The Kiwis, a team that picks things up quickly, dominated South Africa in Karachi, which had a far superior batting surface than Dubai. They might not be able to duplicate that success.
"Everyone brings a unique skill to the ball. Rachin and I, I suppose, bowl differently, as do Phillips and Bracewell. A day prior to the game, Santner stated, "I believe that having a few all-rounders also improves the balance of the team."
In addition, they might have performed at their peak in the semifinals. A number of New Zealand's players put on amazing performances, and the team peaked at the perfect moment. In addition to reaching the highest team total in the tournament with the help of Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, and Glenn Phillips, the spinners united to produce a superb defensive bowling performance.
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If it weren't for David Miller's incredible century in the game's last overs, the Kiwis would have ideally ended the match by the 40th.
IND vs NZ: Head to Head
In 119 ODIs, India and New Zealand have faced off. While New Zealand has won 50 games, India has won 61. There was a tie in one game and no outcome in seven.
In the final of the Champions Trophy in 2000, New Zealand defeated India.
Dubai Pitch Report
If the final is held on the same pitch as the India vs. Pakistan match, then reports are correct. The spinners will then have a significant advantage later in the game because the used surface will be slow.
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IND vs NZ: Predicted XIs
For this game, India is not likely to alter their starting lineup. A change may have to be made by New Zealand if Matt Henry does not show up fully fit. Henry might miss the summit match after getting hurt while lunging forward to make a catch against South Africa. In the last game, he took five wickets against India, so it would be unfortunate if that were to occur.
India’s Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy.
New Zealand Predicted XI: Will Young, Tom Latham (wk), Kane Williamson,Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Kyle Jamieson, William ORourke, Matt Henry/Nathan Smith,Glenn Phillips,
IND vs NZ: Match-ups
Rachin Ravindra vs Mohammed Shami
Rachin Ravindra, the world's rising cricket star, has already developed a fondness for ICC tournaments. Rachin already has five hundreds in the two 50-over competitions he has participated in. It will be the left-hander's responsibility to offset Mohammed Shami's threat at the top of the order.
On slow surfaces, the game is frequently decided by the openers, and Rachin Ravindra will be no exception.
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Kane Williamson vs Ravindra Jadeja
In India, one of the most adored foreign players may be Kane-mama. When the former captain of New Zealand faces the spinners in the middle overs on Sunday, he will be hoping for one final chance. Ravindra Jadeja, another player nearing the end of his game, will be in front of him. Could both of them play their last ODI match?
We don't know, but two players who enjoy controlling the game's tempo are predicted to engage in an intense battle.
Virat Kohli vs Mitchell Santner
Virat Kohli has already been referred to as the master of chase by Mitchell Santner. Although not particularly noteworthy, Kohli's record against Santner is also not bad. With seven wickets in four games this tournament, the cunning spinner has been bowling at his peak. Even better, Santner has spent less than five runs per over during the game's middle stretch.
The Indian innings' middle overs on Sunday could be an exciting matchup with Santner and Kohli at the peak of their abilities. Kohli has praised most of his opponents thus far. The batter may have given up for New Zealand on Sunday if he keeps up his incredible run.
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