Champions Trophy 2024/25, IND vs NZ 12th Match, Group A Match Preview

Virat Kohli is set to play his 300th ODI, joining an elite group as the 22nd player and seventh Indian to reach this milestone. Both India and New Zealand enter their match with strong recent performances (WWWWW), having secured spots in the Champions Trophy semi-finals. Despite potentially resting key players due to a tight schedule, Kohli’s presence adds intensity. Shreyas Iyer’s batting against spin could be crucial, while New Zealand faces lineup challenges with Daryl Mitchell’s return. The match in Dubai will favor spin bowlers, contributing to what promises to be a significant clash between these two competitive teams.

Overview: Kohli Enters the 300 Club

There’s no need to scroll down to the form guide section, because, spoiler alert, both teams arrive at this match with WWWWW beside their names. These are two outstanding ODI teams in remarkable form, solidified by their skilled allrounders. Their compositions are especially well-tailored to the conditions of this Champions Trophy, particularly in Dubai, where this match will unfold, thanks to their potent spin options and the varied batting capabilities of their top orders.

In recent years, especially over the last five or so, there’s been a lot of history between these two sides.

This matchup should be a highlight of the tournament, but in the context of the current Champions Trophy, it’s merely a precursor. Both India and New Zealand are already through to the semi-finals, with clarity on when and where they will play. The only remaining question is who their opponents will be, and neither team likely has a clear “preferred” rival, considering it’s a choice between South Africa and Australia.

With this in mind, and given the short turnaround time before the semi-finals—particularly for India, who only have a one-day gap before their match on March 4—Sunday night’s game may lack high-octane intensity. Players might take rests, and as India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate hinted on Friday, key bowlers may not bowl their full 10 overs.

However, there’s one player whose intensity is always palpable on the field: Virat Kohli, who is set to compete in his milestone 300th ODI, joining a select league of 22 players, with only seven from India reaching this milestone. Given the dwindling frequency of ODIs, and with Kohli’s closest peers far behind—Mushfiqur Rahim (274) and Rohit Sharma (272) being the only ones with over 250 appearances—will he ultimately be the last to reach this mark?

Current Form

India WWWWW (last five ODIs, most recent first)
New Zealand WWWWW

Players to Watch: Shreyas Iyer and Kyle Jamieson

India’s batting has yet to face a genuine challenge in this Champions Trophy. They have chased down targets of 229 and 242 in their two matches so far. Whether batting first or second on Sunday, New Zealand is likely to offer a tougher test, especially with their finger spinners, Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell, controlling the middle overs. It is in this context that Shreyas Iyer becomes particularly crucial. While Kohli and KL Rahul have recorded strike rates in the low 80s against spin this year, Iyer has excelled with a rate of 95.24. New Zealand is well aware of Iyer’s threat against spin; he hit five sixes while scoring 48 runs off 35 balls against their spinners in the 2023 Mumbai World Cup semi-final.

If Kohli’s generation is considered India’s golden period, it likely peaked during the inaugural World Test Championship from 2019-21. The team might have claimed that trophy had they not faced Kyle Jamieson. His height and talent as a fast-bowling allrounder have been overshadowed by injuries since, and he is poised to confront India for the first time across any format since December 2021. He has yet to replicate his Test success in ODIs; will playing against his favored opponents inspire his best performance?

Team News: Daryl Mitchell Recovers, but Where Will He Fit?

With just a day’s gap between this match and their semi-final, and a six-day interval since their previous game against Pakistan, will India rest some key players? Are they confident that their core squad is sufficiently rested for 200 overs in three days? Also, how ready are the bench players for sudden deployment in a knockout situation? Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami had niggles during the Pakistan game, but both have been confirmed fit by the team’s press conference spokespersons.

India did not train Saturday, but Rishabh Pant had an extensive net session on Friday, indicating he could be in line for a game—his only ODI since returning from injury was in July 2024. With up to five left-handed batters potentially in New Zealand’s top eight, India might opt for offspinner Washington Sundar over one of their left-arm finger spinners. If Pant plays and bolsters India’s top five with his left-handed batting, there may be less need for Axar Patel as a floater.

India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Kuldeep Yadav/Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Mohammed Shami/Arshdeep Singh.

Daryl Mitchell is back to fitness after being sidelined against Bangladesh due to illness, which creates a major top-order scenario for New Zealand. Rachin Ravindra, who returned from his injury to replace Mitchell, made a match-winning century against Bangladesh, while Will Young, who had taken Ravindra’s spot at the top, scored a ton in the tournament opener against Pakistan. Devon Conway, the other opener, has also been scoring well, with 97 runs against South Africa in the preceding tri-series.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Devon Conway, 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Will O’Rourke.

Pitch and Conditions: A Spin-Friendly Encounter?

Dubai has proven to be the most hospitable for spinners among the four venues of the Champions Trophy, with spinners enjoying an average of 37.07 and an economy rate of 4.36 here. Rawalpindi ranks second in both areas, with averages of 40.60 and economy rates of 4.81.

This might be influenced by the skill level of India’s spinners. In any case, the pitches in Dubai, rather than being extreme spin-friendly, have typically been slow, with the vast outfield benefitting slower bowlers.

Bangladesh and Pakistan both opted to bat first against India, a trend likely influenced by minimal dew impact around this time of year. It seems that batting first might still be advantageous, given the tendency for the pitches to slow down as the match progresses.

Sunday is projected to be clear and pleasant, with temperatures peaking at 24 degrees Celsius.

Stats and Trivia

India and New Zealand’s only previous Champions Trophy encounter was the 2000 final where Chris Cairns’ unbeaten century led New Zealand to a four-wicket victory.
India has won each of their last five completed ODIs against New Zealand; prior to that, New Zealand had claimed five consecutive victories.
While Tom Latham’s unbeaten 118 was notable, he also made a significant fielding achievement in New Zealand’s tournament-opener against Pakistan: catching Shaheen Shah Afridi off Matt Henry, marking his 100th catch as a wicketkeeper in ODIs.

Quotes

“That’s a lot of ODI games and a lot of international games and yeah, he’s been… I mean, words fall short to express how good a player he’s been, and what a great servant of Indian cricket he’s been.”
KL Rahul on Virat Kohli’s upcoming milestone

Karthik Krishnaswamy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo