Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (DUBAI)
India and New Zealand head into the final of the Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium in what will be a Super Sunday given the strong support for India, who are tournament favourites in more ways than one.
India are a strong side with talent enough to field two sides for any tournament and also have brought a team packed with spinners who have proved to be more tricky with the slow pitches on offer. With all batsmen from both sides among runs, it is an interesting match because the fate of the final will boil down to how the spinners perform on the day.
While India introduced ‘mystery’ bowler Varun Chakravarthy late in the tournament – taking 5-42 against New Zealand – besides their battery of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, the Black Caps have a lone specialist spinner in Mitchell Santner with the additional services of Rachin Ravindra and Michael Bracewell. Chasing India’s target of 250, New Zealand were strangulated and folded for just 205 runs in that match.
Former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has said: “I think at the toss, from a tactical point of view, New Zealand will want to bat first and they will want to do what they did against South Africa in the semi-final. The reason why I say that is because of that man – Varun Chakaravarthy."
New Zealand have been formidable in their other games and the semi-final in Pakistan where a top scores of 361 was put up. The highest score in Dubai has been 265 on a fresh pitch against Australia. For the final, it will be the pitch that was used on February 23 against Pakistan and in line with the Emirates Cricket Board policy of using a wicket unused for two weeks.
“The last time we played them, despite losing three wickets early in the powerplay, we put up a good performance and won comfortably,” Shubman Gill said in his address to the media. “So, there isn’t any added discussion. Obviously, we talk about someone from the top three firing to give us a better chance.
“I don’t think the wicket is going to behave any differently. We haven’t really seen a 300-run total here yet, and I think, irrespective of the weather, the pitch will remain similar to what we’ve been playing on. As a team, we have developed a good understanding of how to play and bowl on these kinds of wickets.”
The toss could still help to the side winning where choosing to bat means avoiding the toil in the sun at a venue where temperatures have spiked and were at the highest of 33ºC on Saturday. The forecast for Sunday, however, is a significant three degrees less under cloudy conditions. Traditionally the team chasing second should have an advantage in Dubai but for India it hasn’t mattered. Even having lost 14 tosses in a row, India has managed to win nine matches and one ended without a result.
"The conditions are a lot different, but you know that's sort of the nature of the beast,” Kane Williamson said on arriving in Dubai after winning the semis. “I think in any tournament that you have, conditions change a little bit throughout. For us, it was nice to have that last match against India.”
