India vs NZ: Super Sunday for cricket fans as Rohit's men eye 2nd successive ICC title

It is a Super Sunday for cricket fans as India face New Zealand in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS).

Photos: How India prepared for the final in Dubai

India have entered the final with an all-win record while the Kiwis have lost just one match – to India, on the way to the final.

Also read: India vs New Zealand final preview

There is high anticipation among Indian fans of the Rohit Sharma-led winning their second consecutive ICC trophy. Last year, they won the T20 World Cup by defeating South Africa in the final.

All eyes on Kohli and Rohit

Once again all eyes will be on Rohit and Virat Kohli, who are featuring in a record ninth ICC final across formats. Kohli holds an impressive record in ICC summit clashes when compared to his captain. The star batter from Delhi has scored 410 runs in 10 innings while Rohit has 246 from 10 visits to the crease.

Also read: Santner speaks on CT final

Of the eight ICC finals Kohli and Rohit have played, India emerged victorious in three. Rohit won the World T20 2007, the Champions Trophy 2013, and the T20 World Cup in 2024. Kohli was with Rohit in 2013 and 2024 triumphs; his other ICC title was in 2011.

Apart from Kohli and Rohit, the Indian spin quartet of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy will be the cynosure of all eyes. India’s slow bowlers, Chakravarthy in particular, have delivered the good on Dubai pitches that have been sluggish.

Record viewership

The India vs New Zealand Champions Trophy final is expected to break viewership records with fans tuning on TV on Star Sports Network and on the JioStar app.

Also read: Kohli and Rohit's records in 8 ICC finals

The India versus Australia Champions Trophy semifinals on Tuesday (March 4) was watched by a record 66.9 crore viewers on JioHotstar. This surpassed the previous record of 60.2 crore for India vs Pakistan in the group stage of the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai.

Also read: Will Kohli, Rohit retire after CT final?

India’s unbeaten record in Dubai

The ‘Men in Blue’ enter the final as favourites as they have not lost an ODI at the Dubai stadium in 10 encounters since 2018. They have won nine and the other game was a tie, against Afghanistan.

New Zealand spinners

While it would be a spin battle that could decide the outcome of the final, the Kiwis spinners are also eagerly waiting to do their best. The spin department will be led by New Zealand captain and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, and he will have the off-spin of Michael Bracewell and part-time spin of Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips to assist.

Batting battles and fielding

India’s batting will again revolve around Rohit, Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer, the top four batters in the lineup. For New Zealand, the in-form Ravindra and the experienced Kane Williamson are key along with Daryl Mitchell.

When it comes to fielding, New Zealand have been brilliant throughout the tournament with Phillips pulling off some outstanding catches at backward point. On the other hand, India have spilled a few catches and cannot afford to do so in the final.

Kiwis hold edge over India in ICC events

The Kiwis have always had the upper hand in ICC events over India as they hold a 10-6 lead across all the ICC tournaments.

Also, New Zealand have a 3-1 edge over India in the ICC knockout matches.

The match starts at 2:30 PM IST

The Squads

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy.

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Jacob Duffy.