Dubai
\nIndia are heavy favourites to claim a record third Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday, but Rohit Sharma\u2019s men face a New Zealand side with plenty of firepower in the first major white-ball final between the teams in a quarter of a century.
\nIndia, who refused to play in host nation Pakistan, have produced clinical performances to win all four of their matches in the United Arab Emirates, including a 44-run group-stage victory over the Black Caps last weekend.
\nThe 2002 and 2013 champions have excelled on pitches offering turn, while the batting group led by Virat Kohli has excelled under pressure with masterful run-chases in victories over Bangladesh, Pakistan and Australia.
\nIndia are on the verge of winning back-to-back International Cricket Council trophies following last year\u2019s Twenty20 World Cup triumph, but coach Gautam Gambhir is focused only on Sunday.
\n\u201cWe still have one more game to go,\u201d he told reporters.
\n\u201cWe know we\u2019re a good one-day side. The most important thing is the way we\u2019ve played throughout this competition.
\n\u201cThe hunger, the commitment and the eagerness to try and do something special for the country is always there.\u201d
\nWith Mohammed Shami filling in superbly for injured pacer Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Hardik Pandya offering valuable batting depth, Rohit was delighted with the form of key players going into the title decider.
\n\u201cWhen you want to play in the final, you want all your guys to be in form,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cAll of these guys have made an impact whenever they\u2019ve got an opportunity and that gives us a lot of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flip the script
\nDespite their flawless displays in Dubai, India will not take anything for granted against New Zealand, who beat them by four wickets in the final of the 2000 event when it was named the ICC KnockOut Trophy.
\nNew Zealand batsman Kane Williamson said his side have every chance of derailing India in a major final once again.
\n\u201cObviously, it was a long time ago and a great victory for our country,\u201d said Williamson, whose side also stunned India in the World Test Championship title clash four years ago.
\n\u201cHere, now, lots of things are different [\u2026] we\u2019ll be changing our focus quickly to this next match, which is an exciting opportunity for us.\u201d
\nWhile India will be more comfortable with the venue, having played all their games in Dubai, Williamson said anything can happen in a final.
\n\u201cIt was a great atmosphere in the last game, and I\u2019m sure it\u2019ll be a good one again,\u201d he added.
\nNew Zealand head into the match having thumped South Africa in the semi-final after registering the highest Champions Trophy total of 362-6, with Rachin Ravindra and Williamson in fine fettle after scoring centuries.
\nTheir capable spin unit, comprising captain Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips and Ravindra, can cause plenty of problems for India, who will aim to move ahead of Australia in the Champions Trophy winners list.
\nAustralia won the event in 2006 and 2009.
\nNew Zealand will hope to have Matt Henry fully fit after the pace bowler injured his shoulder against South Africa.
\n\u201cObviously, the surface will dictate a bit of how we want to operate,\u201d said Santner, whose side were undone by India\u2019s four-pronged spin attack last time around.
\n\u201cIt might be a little bit slower than what we\u2019re going to get in Lahore. So it might be more of a scrap.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019re down to scrap.\u201d
\nIndia hungry for Champions Trophy title but not desperate: Gill
\nMeanwhile, opener Shubman Gill said. India\u2019s hunger for a global title remained undiminished but there would be no desperation when they clashed with New Zealand.
\nIndia ended an 11-year global title drought when they won the Twenty20 World Cup in West Indies last year under Sharma\u2019s captaincy.
\nStopping that barren run has allowed them to play the big matches like Sunday\u2019s final without getting overwhelmed by the occasion, said 25-year-old Gill.
\n\u201cSometimes once you get one title, I think that kind of breaks the jinx,\u201d he told reporters at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on the eve of the final.
\n\u201cIt gives you the momentum, also you are not very desperate about getting the title. It\u2019s not good when desperation kicks in. Then it becomes hard to put the occasion out of the equation.
\n\u201cIn all these big matches, the players or the teams that can put aside the pressure and take the occasion out of the game have a better chance of winning.
\n\u201cI think winning the title in 2024 doesn\u2019t mean that we are less hungry but I think it makes us more balanced that yes we\u2019ve won an ICC title and we\u2019ll try to do our best to win this one.\u201d
\nIndia have been boosted by Kohli\u2019s return to form and the firepower in their middle order.
\n\u201cI think this is the best batting lineup that I have been part of,\u201d Gill said. \u201cRohit and Virat are all-time one-day greats. Rohit is one of the best openers in white ball and Virat is one of the best ODI batsmen ever.
\n\u201cThe batting depth that we have has made life easier for the top order batsmen. Those of us in the top order play with so much freedom because of our batting depth.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dubai India are heavy favourites to claim a record third Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday, but Rohit Sharma\u2019s men face a New Zealand side with plenty of firepower in the first major white-ball final between the teams in a quarter of a century. India, who refused to play in host nation Pakistan, have produced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466070,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-466054","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n