India remains unbeaten in the tournament, but their focus will be on playing spin better as they face New Zealand in the final group match of the Champions Trophy on Sunday. This match could also see opportunities for players who haven’t featured in the playing XI yet. A win would ensure India finishes at the top of Group A.
Although India has won both of their matches, spinners have troubled their batters. With New Zealand already qualified for the semi-finals, they could look to exploit this weakness. Indian batters played cautiously against Bangladesh’s spinners Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Rishad Hossain, as well as Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed, who all bowled economically. Now, they will face the challenge of Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell, making it one of the toughest spin tests of the tournament.
Dubai International Stadium Pitch Report for India vs New Zealand Match
The pitch at Dubai International Cricket Stadium is expected to assist spinners. A low-scoring encounter is likely, and batters will need to construct their innings carefully to post a competitive total. Bowling first could be an advantage.
So far, 60 ODI matches have been played at this venue, with teams batting first winning 22 times, while teams bowling first have won 36 times. The highest total on this ground is 355/5 by England, while the lowest is 91 by Namibia. The average first-innings score here is 219, while the second-innings average is 193.
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India vs New Zealand Squads
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy.
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Jacob Duffy.