Champions Trophy: Chakaravarthy, Mitchell Join as NZ Opts to Bowl First Against India

Synopsis

In a thrilling encounter at the 2025 Champions Trophy, New Zealand's captain, Mitchell Santner, chose to bowl first against India. With both teams already in the semi-finals, this match will determine their next opponents. Key player updates include Varun Chakravarthy's inclusion for India and Daryl Mitchell's debut for New Zealand.

Key Takeaways

Mitchell Santner elected to bowl first after winning the toss.
Virat Kohli reaches a milestone of 300 ODIs.
Both teams have qualified for the semi-finals.
India introduces Varun Chakravarthy into their lineup.
Match played on a black-soil pitch with short boundaries.

Dubai, March 2 (NationPress) New Zealand's captain Mitchell Santner has won the toss and opted to bowl first against India in the concluding Group A encounter of the 2025 Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium this Sunday.

This match also marks Virat Kohli as the 22nd player overall and the seventh Indian to reach 300 men’s ODIs.

With both teams having qualified for the semi-finals, this match will determine which team faces the Group B leaders South Africa or the second-placed Australia in the knockout stage of the tournament.

Following the toss, Santner stated that Daryl Mitchell replaces Devon Conway. “The pitch looks good. We aim to apply early pressure and hope it plays well later. Our focus is to win here, knowing we will be in Lahore later, but our immediate task is to challenge ourselves in varying conditions,” he remarked.

In response, Indian captain Rohit Sharma announced the resting of pace-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana, with wrist-spinner Varun Chakravarthy stepping into the playing eleven. This adjustment provides India with two aggressive spinners, Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.

“I was inclined to bat first anyway, wanting to see how we perform upfront and challenge our bowlers since we have chased in both prior matches. Our strategy will remain akin to previous games, focusing on consistency,” he stated.

“Bowling in partnerships is crucial; collectively, we've taken 19 wickets across both games. Our spinners have effectively limited runs, while the seamers have clinched wickets,” he added.

The match will be contested on a black-soil pitch, with square boundaries measuring 63m and 71m, while the straight boundary stretches to 76m.

Playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy

New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, and William O'Rourke