India up for toughest test yet for Rohit Sharma to win title

By Kartikay Dutta, Mar 9 (Hindustan Times): IND vs NZ LIVE Score, Champions Trophy 2025 Final: A memorable tournament will come to its conclusion today, as India and New Zealand lock horns to try and raise the ICC Champions Trophy to cap off terrific performances over the last three weeks.

This tournament hasn’t been free of controversy, which started off months before the first ball was even bowled, and has continued through the tournament. But with controversy comes plenty of passion and drama, and with India having been at the heart of that, there is no question that this is a group of players who will be hungry to make it two ICC tournaments in a row and get this particular monkey off their back.

Dubai will be the host for this match, a ground and a surface that hasn’t seen as much explosive run-scoring as the grounds in Pakistan and have allowed spin to play much more of a factor. These two teams have, of course, already played each other in these conditions, just a week prior to this final. While there was no risk of elimination on the line, there will be a lot that both teams will take away from India’s 44-run victory on the day, in particular a New Zealand batting effort that threatened to break away and make the chase but just fell short.

India vs New Zealand Head-to-Head in ODIs:

Matches Played: 119

India Won: 61

New Zealand Won: 50

Tied: 1

No Result: 7

Add to this their new ball success, pinning India back with the crucial early wickets of Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, there is plenty for the Kiwis to be confident about heading into this match.

One would expect that India can’t rely on a rescue job from the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel to come good every time, especially in a high-pressure situation like a final – but at the same time, having such capable players in stock, not to mention KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja, provides an incredible amount of confidence to any batting team. Nevertheless, the senior players at the top will be expected to step up.

The bowling lineup will continue to be the four-man spin rotation that saw them squash middle-over fightbacks from both the Kiwis and Australia. It has been something of a masterstroke by Gautam Gambhir, to sacrifice wickets early and at the top of the innings to exercise control through the middle portion of the match, where India can attack almost constantly and pull themselves back into the game even from a weaker position.

India Likely XI vs New Zealand Champions Trophy final:

Openers: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill

Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper)

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja

Spinners: Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

Pacer: Mohammed Shami

New Zealand Likely XI vs New Zealand Champions Trophy final:

Openers: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra

Middle Order: Kane Williamson, Tom Latham(wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips

All-rounders: Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Kyle Jamieson,

Pacers: William O'Rourke, Nathan Smith

What will be interesting to watch is how New Zealand combat this, especially with the form that Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson are showing, as well as the cushion of Tom Latham and the hitting power against spin of Daryl Mitchell behind them. Rachin is in red-hot form, and has probably been the best batter in this tournament so far, showing off all his talent and ability to score runs: if India aren’t able to dislodge him early, he will be capable of getting used to the pace of this wicket and start scoring runs at will.

On the bowling front, India will also need a way to combat Mitchell Santner, who has been sensational this tournament in almost singlehandedly controlling the middle-overs scoring rate, and Michael Bracewell, who has played his role to perfection as well.

India start off this match as the heavy heavy favourites to lift the trophy at the end of it, on the credit of being the best and most balanced team on paper, but also having the definite advantage of having set up camp in Dubai for nearly a month, a veritable holiday compared to the gruelling travel schedule of the Kiwis. But with three full days between the semifinal and the final, the Kiwis won’t be looking for excuses: they know they are capable of pulling off underdog wins, particularly against India, and will see this as a prime opportunity to play spoilsport and finally get their hands on a limited-overs men’s ICC trophy, for the first time in a quarter of a century.

This match is by no means open-and-shut in terms of the eventual winner. It promises to be a salivating contest, full of ebbs and flows, and all the thrill and excitement one can hope for from a cup final. Up to the players now to deliver.

Here are a few pointers from the India vs New Zealand Champions Trophy final:

- India have never beaten New Zealand in the final of an ICC tournament

- New Zealand, in fact, beat India twice in an ICC final - the 2000 Champions Trophy and the 2021 World Test Championship.

- Having said that, India have beaten New Zealand in their last six ODIs.

- India and New Zealand will play on the same pitch where the India vs Pakistan game was played two weeks ago.

- Today could mark Rohit Sharma's last ODI.