Champions Trophy: New Zealand Win Toss And Opt To Bowl First Against India In Final Group A Match

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bowl first against India in the final Group A match of the 2025 Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

The match also marked a milestone for Virat Kohli, who became the 22nd player overall and the seventh Indian to feature in 300 men’s ODIs. Both India and New Zealand have already qualified for the semi-finals, and the outcome of this match will determine who faces South Africa or Australia in the last four.

Mitchell and Chakaravarthy Added To Playing XI

Santner revealed that Daryl Mitchell replaced Devon Conway in the playing XI, stating, “Looks like a good wicket. We want to put pressure early and hope it skids on well later. We still want to win and challenge ourselves in different conditions.”

India, on the other hand, made a change by resting pace-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana and bringing in wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy. This gave India two attacking spinners in Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, along with Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in the playing XI.

India’s Early Struggles and Recovery

India had a shaky start, losing three quick wickets to slump to 30/3 by the seventh over. Rohit Sharma (15), Shubman Gill (2), and Virat Kohli (11) fell cheaply. However, Shreyas Iyer (79 off 98) and Axar Patel (42) steadied the innings, with India reaching 172/5 at the time of their dismissals.

India’s record against New Zealand in global tournaments has been underwhelming, with the Black Caps winning 10 times to India’s 5. India will also be wary of New Zealand’s form in subcontinent conditions, as the Kiwis defeated Pakistan and South Africa in the Tri-Series before the Champions Trophy and won both their matches in the tournament against Pakistan and Bangladesh.

However, India finds some solace in their victory over New Zealand in the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-finals, and hopes to carry that confidence into this crucial encounter.

Playing XIs

• India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.
• New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, William O’Rourke.

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