Ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy final on March 9, 2025, former India captain Sourav Ganguly expressed confidence in the team’s ability to secure victory against New Zealand in Dubai. India remains undefeated in the tournament and seeks to avenge previous losses to New Zealand in major tournaments. India recently defeated the Kiwis by 44 runs, with Shreyas Iyer scoring 79 runs and Varun Chakaravarthy taking 5 wickets. Ganguly wished the team well, emphasizing that strong performance would lead to victory. The squads for both teams include notable players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Kane Williamson.
As the ICC Champions Trophy final 2025 approaches, where India will face New Zealand in Dubai, former Indian captain and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly expresses confidence that with a strong performance, the team can secure the title on Sunday. The final is set to take place on March 9 at the Dubai International Stadium, where India remains unbeaten in the tournament, while New Zealand has showcased impressive form under the leadership of Mitchell Santner.
This showdown is anticipated to be a thrilling reminder of the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy final, a match won by New Zealand. India aims to rectify previous defeats to the Kiwis in the semifinals of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final.
“Best wishes to Team India. It’s a solid team, and we hope they perform well. If we play to our potential, victory will follow,” stated Sourav Ganguly during an interview with ANI.
In their last encounter, India triumphed over New Zealand by 44 runs, scoring 249 runs in their 50 overs while limiting New Zealand to 205 all out in 46 overs. While much attention has been given to spinners in the UAE, it was Matt Henry who excelled for the Black Caps, securing figures of 5/42 in eight overs, during which Shreyas Iyer was India’s top scorer with 79 runs off 98 balls.
Kane Williamson valiantly scored 81 runs off 120 balls for New Zealand but lacked support from the middle order. India’s spinners collectively took nine wickets, with Varun Chakaravarthy, dubbed the ‘secret weapon’, leading with 5/42—matching Henry’s performance for New Zealand—in just his second One Day International.
Squads:
India Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.
New Zealand Squad: Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, William O’Rourke, Daryl Mitchell, Nathan Smith, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy.
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