India and New Zealand last faced in a major ICC knockout match in 2023, when the Men in Blue prevailed over the Kiwis in the semi-finals in Mumbai.
India are set to match up against New Zealand in the final of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium on March 9, at 2:30 pm IST. The Men in Blue are unbeaten in the competition so far, having won all of their group-stage games and triumphing over Australia in the semi-final.
The Kiwis have prevailed over all the opponents barring the Rohit Sharma-led side, who handed them a 50-run loss at this very venue earlier this month.
India – Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
The entire unit has functioned cohesively so far. Openers, middle-order batters, finishers, all-rounders, pacers, and spinners have stood up and done their tasks with admirable responsibility at different junctures of the competition.
The Indian team have not been reliant on a single player or a group of limited personnel, and have instead covered all bases to produce consistent positive performances.
Weaknesses
At separate phases, certain loopholes have come to the fore. The top-order has not piled huge scores in the last couple of games. Pace attack can be blunted if Mohammed Shami is neutralised, with all-rounder Hardik Pandya being the second-choice speedster.
The side was in a spot of bother in the last encounter chasing against a largely second-string Australian setup, and the Kiwis are certainly better equipped to capitalise on that if India cede them even an inch.
New Zealand – Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
New Zealand have consistently shown an ability to plan to the fore and catch their opponents off guard. Their spinners have managed to extract turn from even the placid surfaces in Pakistan.
Matt Henry has been crucial in extracting movement off the surface with the new ball, whereas Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke add a bit of bite and sharpness to the pace attack, getting wickets of the Indian top-order aplenty in their previous encounter.
Weakness
New Zealand were unable to accelerate in the run chase in the previous match. They had gained a fair control over the innings before the Indian spinners spun a web around them. The likes of Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, and Glenn Phillips had the foundation built for them to expedite the scoring rate, but fell short of doing so, falling short of the eventual target.
With the pitch in Dubai expected to slow down as the game progresses, the Kiwi middle-order batters will have to unleash the big guns to not let the game slip away from their control, battling the Indian spin quartet and negating their impact with slick footwork and the occasional boundaries.
Who will win?
While the Kiwis have managed to produce spirited performances often, India will not be lagging behind in terms of putting their best foot forward either. The two sides have been incredibly well-balanced throughout the event, promising a cracker of a contest that makes predicting the winner a difficult task altogether.
POLL
