DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Star batter Virat Kohli took the field for his 300th one-day international as New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl against India in the final Group A clash at the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Kohli became only the seventh cricketer to represent India in 300 or more ODIs. Sachin Tendulkar leads the way with 463 ODIs – the most by any player in world cricket.
Rohit Sharma recovered from a hamstring issue to lead India once again, albeit losing his 10th successive toss. In all, it is the 13th straight toss India has lost since the 2023 Cricket World Cup final – the longest streak in this format.
India has made one change – pacer Harshit Rana has been rested with spinner Varun Chakravarthy coming in, as part of a four-spinner attack.
The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium has been two-paced throughout the tournament. It is expected to be the same for this game as well, with evening dew potentially aiding the chasing side.
New Zealand has also made one change with batting all-rounder Daryl Mitchell in for Devon Conway.
Both India and New Zealand have already confirmed qualification for the semifinals from Group A. Today’s game will decide the group winner and subsequent semifinal line-ups.
India beat Bangladesh and Pakistan, both by six wickets, respectively, at the same venue. The 2013 champions are playing all their matches in Dubai, after the Indian government refused permission to travel to Pakistan.
Thus, India will play its semifinal in Dubai on Tuesday. If it qualifies for the final, the match will also be hosted in Dubai on Mar. 9, otherwise it will be played in Lahore.
New Zealand beat Pakistan in Karachi by 60 runs and then beat Bangladesh in Rawalpindi by five wickets to confirm its spot in the last four. The Black Caps will play their semifinal in Lahore on Wednesday.
From Group B, South Africa and Australia have qualified for the semifinals.
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Line-ups:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Lokesh Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
New Zealand: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, William O’Rourke
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
The Associated Press
