India Aims to Overcome New Zealand Amid Emotions Around Rohit and Kohli.

India Faces New Zealand Challenge Amid Emotional Farewell for Rohit & Kohli

India, unbeaten so far, will take on their long-time nemesis New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday, aiming to end a 12-year title drought. The Kiwis hold a 10-6 edge over India in ICC events and a 3-1 advantage in knockout clashes, making them a tough hurdle to overcome.

Despite criticism over their extended stay in Dubai, India enters the final with a well-balanced team, particularly their spin quartet-Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel-who have excelled on the sluggish DICS pitch. New Zealand, however, will rely on their own spin attack, led by skipper Mitchell Santner, along with Michael Bracewell, Rachin Ravindra, and Glenn Phillips.

For India, the final could be a defining moment for stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, whose future in ICC tournaments remains uncertain. While Kohli has been in fine form, Rohit will look to convert his starts into substantial innings, particularly against a New Zealand pace attack missing the injured Matt Henry.

India's middle order-Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Hardik Pandya-has shown promise, and their collective effort will be crucial in securing the title. With the final set in the Arabian lands, India hopes to script a fairytale ending to an already dominant campaign.

Teams (from):
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), 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.

Match starts at 2:30 PM IST.