India vs New Zealand ICC Champions Trophy Final Preview | Can New Zealand beat the Favourites?

The ICC Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand will be held at the Dubai International Stadium.  India had a fantastic competition and went undefeated to the final.  In the league stage, they defeated New Zealand, Bangladesh, and Pakistan; in the semifinal, they defeated Australia.  However, in the final league match, New Zealand lost to India despite defeating Bangladesh and Pakistan.  To go into the playoffs, they defeated South Africa in the semifinal.

India will begin the match as the favorite, but New Zealand won't be taken lightly.  India has previously been plagued by New Zealand in ICC matches, and they hope to cause them even more suffering on Sunday.  However, given the circumstances, India has a stronger squad, and if they perform well, it should be difficult for New Zealand to overcome them.

India vs New Zealand Pitch Report

The final will be played on the same pitch as the India vs. Pakistan match, which should work in the spinners' favor.  If the side sets a high score batting first, chasing could become difficult because there hasn't been much dew in the evening.

India vs New Zealand Head To Head In ICC Knockouts

New Zealand has won three of the five knockout matches that India and New Zealand have played in ICC events, while India has won two.  In the 2000 Champions Trophy final, the 2019 World Cup semifinal, and the WTC, New Zealand triumphed.  In contrast, India won the 2023 World Cup semifinal and the 2000 Champions Trophy quarterfinal against New Zealand.

Squads:

India Squad:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Rishabh Pant, and Washington Sundar.

New Zealand Squad:

Mitchell Santner (Captain), Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, William O’Rourke, Jacob Duffy, Devon Conway, Mark Chapman, Nathan Smith