India will aim to go into knockouts unbeaten when they face New Zealand in the final group encounter at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai today. Both India and New Zealand have qualified for the semifinals from Group B while Australia and South Africa have made it through from Group B.
Depending in the outcome of the India vs New Zealand clash, the semifinal line-ups will be made. With the match being a dead rubber, there is a strong possibility that India might give some fringe players a chance in Dubai.
India vs New Zealand head-to-head
In ODIs, India have a 60-50 head-to-head record against New Zealand. Seven games ended in no result while one finished in a tie. In ICC Champions Trophy, India and New Zealand played only once in 2000 with the Kiwis winning by four wickets
India vs New Zealand predicted playing XIs
India: Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav/Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.
New Zealand: Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, William O’Rourke, Kyle Jamieson
India vs New Zealand LIVE SCORE:
India vs New Zealand LIVE SCORE: Speaking at a press conference, Jansen said, “Yeah, I don’t mind it. I haven’t played golf in a long time, so I’m looking forward to that. Yeah, no we don’t – luckily it’s a short flight. It’s an hour-and-a-half flight, so it’s sort of like a domestic flight back home. It’s not too much of a hassle, or if you can call it like that. But yeah, like I said, I’m pretty excited to play some golf,”
Kohli at 300
A small side plot of the game will be about Virat Kohli, who is going to play his 300th ODI game. With the 50-over game becoming a dying format of sorts, this is an achievement that will be celebrated on Sunday. The best thing for the Indian cricket team fans is that the star batter is back in form, and he reworked his batting technique just before the Champions Trophy.
Kohli is second-highest when it comes to runs against New Zealand, behind Sachin Tendulkar and scored a hundred against them in the ODI World Cup semi-final in 2023. Kohli will become the 7th Indian and the 22nd player overall to reach the landmark. Could we see another masterclass in Dubai?
Match-ups to watch
- Virat Kohli vs Mitchell Santner: The one man who could spoil Kohli’s 300 ODI celebrations could Mitchell Santner. The New Zealand skipper has dismissed Kohli 3 times in ODIs and has always kept the star batter under check. Kohli has scored just 5 boundaries against Santner in 16 innings.
- Rohit Sharma vs Matt Henry: Rohit was troubled by Matt Henry during the Test series last year. But during the ODI World Cup 2023, Rohit stepped down to take on the pacer and disturbed his lengths during the match in Dharamsala.
- Ravindra Jadeja vs Kane Williamson: When it comes to ODIs, Jadeja has the knack of picking up big wickets and none come bigger than Kane Williamson himself. The former Blackcaps skipper is yet to hit prime form in the tournament.
- Shreyas Iyer vs Michael Bracewell: Michael Bracewell picked up 4 wickets in his last game and will be New Zealand’s second spin option. To counter him on the Dubai pitch, Shreyas Iyer will be the man India will bank on.
Prediction: Who will win IND vs NZ?
This is a contest that is difficult to call at the moment. Both teams are in form and it could all come down to the pitch. India has an edge in that aspect, playing all their matches in Dubai. This could help Rohit and Co. to finish with a win and make it 3 out of 3 in the group stages.