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Champions Trophy, 2025: New Zealand decide to bat

New Zealand have decided to bat first against India in the much-anticipated Champions Trophy final being held in Dubai. New Zealand will look to follow a balanced approach to the game. With players like Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra and Tom Latham in the batting line-up, New Zealand have the potential to set a big total. However, In a big setback, they will miss the services of their bowler Matt Henry, who is unavailable due to a shoulder injury. Nathan Smith comes in place of Matt Henry in a like-for-like replacement.
Having been put to bowl, Indian team will be hoping for another strong performance from their spinners, who have been instrumental in their success so far. Led by Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, the spinners have troubled opposition batsmen, with their variations. The conditions at the venue are expected to assist the spinners, and India will look to exploit these advantages in their quest for the trophy. India have gone for an unchanged XI.
India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy
New Zealand XI: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wK), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Kyle Jamieson, William ORourke, Nathan Smith
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