Tomorrow in Dubai, India will make their third consecutive appearance in a Champions Trophy final. They have won one of the first two and lost the other. Irrespective of the results, they entered both as favorites. There is plenty that makes them the favourites this time, too. They are more familiar with the venue than any of the participating teams, their players are better-suited to the conditions, and their opposition lacks juju in knockouts. But from what has been seen over the years, finals and history, don’t respect any of that. All that matters once both teams have stepped off the field is who has claimed the glory.
New Zealand last played in the UAE a week ago against India. Prior to that, they visited the UAE in late 2023, when a second-string New Zealand team played a bilateral series against UAE. India, on the other hand, have found a second-home in Dubai in the past few weeks. This has not gone unnoticed, though. There have been debates – and will continue to be regardless of whether India win the final – about how the scheduling has given them a handful of advantages over their opposition.
This makes the task more daunting for New Zealand. Not that they have ever required a reason to squander their chances in finals. But interestingly, against India, they have been incredibly firm, especially in knockout games. To date, the two sides have played only two ICC tournament finals: an ICC KnockOut Final in Nairobi and the more recent World Test Championship Final in Southampton. Both games were played in different formats, different eras, and different conditions but yielded the same result, which was New Zealand triumphing over India.
In fact, when it comes to ICC events, India have not struggled against any team more than New Zealand. In ICC tournaments across formats, India have defeated New Zealand in only seven out of 23 matches, which accounts for their worst W/L ratio against any opponent. As many as five of those seven wins transpired at India’s home.
And that’s where we circle back to the fact that Dubai has been India’s home-away-from-home lately.
Team Overview:
The ILT20, which ended almost a fortnight before the start of the Champions Trophy, cracked the Dubai pitch enough for spinners to fully capitalize on its endless benefits. Since then, Indian spinners have seized the opportunity with both hands. Varun Chakravarthy has been India’s standout player countless times lately, but never more notably than when they faced New Zealand in the group stage. His five-wicket haul was crucial in ensuring India’s unscathed journey to the semi-final. He, along with the other of his kind, will be India’s biggest weapon in troubling New Zealand out of the game. And this is what must have filled the Indian dressing room with nervous excitement. There is likely a streak of somberness as well, relating to the fact that this will be the last ODI mega-event for many of their players. Historically, such a feeling is known to provide an impetus like no other factor can.
New Zealand tried to match India’s spin finesse with their best in business in their last game here, but Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell could not exploit the conditions like their Indian counterparts. They will be New Zealand’s odds-on favourite once again, especially with Matt Henry’s availability in the air. Henry took a five-for against India last Sunday and was probably the only Kiwi player – barring, of course, Kane Williamson – to actually threaten India’s survival. There is one X-factor that makes New Zealand unmatched in the entire world and that is their fielding. It helps them cash the chances which are not even chances, and in high-stakes games, even the slightest of advantages make all the difference.
Head-to-Head Record:
India and New Zealand have matched up against each other in 119 ODI games to date. Out of these, India were the better side in 61 games, and New Zealand managed to get past them in 50. 8 games ended without any result.
Weather and Pitch Report:
In the semi-final, the Dubai pitch behaved how it did during the most of the tournament. It resembled a two-paced track but with an affinity for the spinners instead. Batting first has been a challenge for teams in the Champions Trophy, but both finalists, as is traditionally done, would still want to defend the target. Slow and short length balls will be the key for pacers. It would be a herculean task to chase down anything north of 250.
Where to Watch:
Pakistan: Tapmad, PTV Sport, Ten Sports, Myco App
India: Star Sports Network, Network 18, JioCinema App
UK: Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Action, Sky Sport App
Australia: PrimeVideo
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ, Sky Sports Now, Sky Go
Afghanistan: ATN
South Africa: SuperSport Network
Bangladesh: Nagorik TV, T Sports, Toffee app
Sri Lanka: Maharaja TV, Sirasa TV
USA: Willow TV
Caribbean: ESPN Caribbean App
MENA: StarzPlay, CricLife Max, CricLife Max 2
