IND vs NZ Final: New Zealand Qualifying For Champions Trophy 2025 Summit Clash Is Bad News For Team India, Here's Why

ICC Champions Trophy: Mitchell Santner's New Zealand decimated South Africa in the semi-finals of the ongoing Champions Trophy. The Proteas threatened to take the game away from the Kiwis at one stage in the game but Santner and his men pulled things back and eliminated South Africa from the tournament. David Miller did score an unbeaten 100 off 67 deliveries, but it was not good enough for his team to cross the finishing line.

New Zealand who have lost just one match in the ongoing 2025 edition of the Champions Trophy will look to end Rohit Sharma and co.'s unbeaten run in the finals and clinch the prestigious trophy. India had earlier defeated New Zealand in the Group Stage encounter. India would've fancied the idea of locking horns with South Africa in yet another ICC event final, but New Zealand had some other plans in the back of their minds.

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New Zealand Nullify Team India's Dubai Advantage

Rohit Sharma and Co. have played all their Champions Trophy 2025 matches in the Dubai International Stadium and they are well familiar with the conditions at their disposal. India made a tactical change in their playing XI in the form of spinner Varun Chakaravarthy as soon as the tracks in Dubai slowed down and they are likely to stick to the winning combination.

New Zealand have already played a match in Dubai and they'll have a fair idea of what to expect from the conditions and how to use them for their own advantage. South Africa on the other hand had played all their Champions Trophy games in Pakistan and the conditions in Dubai would've been completely alien for them. This would've worked pretty well in India's favour.

The 'Men in Blue' had already defeated the Proteas in the World T20 finals and this would've given them a great psychological edge. But New Zealand have made their way to the summit clash and things are expected to even out. The Champions Trophy Final will be nothing short of a high-quality entertainer with two quality sides locking horns with each other to lift the iconic silverware.

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Rohit Sharma The Captain Eyes His Second ICC Trophy

Rohit Sharma is now a World Cup winning skipper. The 'Hitman' led his team to a famous World T20 Win in Barbados last year. Rohit now has a chance to deliver yet another ICC title for the India as a captain. The star opener also has a chance of becoming the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni to win the ICC Champions Trophy.

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