New Zealand bats first in Champions Trophy final against India

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the coin toss and chose to bat first against India in the 2025 Champions Trophy final on Sunday.

It is the 15th consecutive toss India has lost since the 2023 Cricket World Cup final in November 2023 – the longest such run for any team in one-day internationals.

India is the only unbeaten side in the tournament after wins against Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in the group phase, and then Australia in the semifinal. All matches were played in Dubai after the Indian government refused permission for its team go to ‘hosts’ Pakistan on security grounds.

New Zealand beat Pakistan in Karachi, and then Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, before making the trip to Dubai to play India. The Black Caps then returned to Pakistan where it beat South Africa in the second semifinal at Lahore.

Both sides have previously won this tournament. India's last success came in 2013 and were runners-up to Pakistan in 2017. It also shared the trophy with Sri Lanka in 2002 after a rain-affected two-day final.

New Zealand won the Champions Trophy (then the ICC Knockout Trophy) in 2000 – it beat India in the final at Nairobi, Kenya. It remains the only limited-overs ICC trophy in the Black Caps’ cabinet.

Pacer Matt Henry, who leads the tournament with 10 wickets in four matches has been ruled out with a shoulder injury sustained during the semifinal. Medium pace allrounder Nathan Smith is his replacement in the only change for New Zealand.

India has fielded an unchanged eleven from the semifinal and has again opted for four spin options.

The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is dry and should aid spin as the game progresses. The surface was previously used for the India-Pakistan game here on Feb. 23.

There is little chance of evening dew as the ambient temperature has shot up in the UAE this past week – but if there is any, it will aid the chasing side.

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Line-ups:

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

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

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket