New Zealand will try to play smarter in Sunday’s Champions Trophy final against India. They learned from their earlier match against India, where the Indian team used a lot of spin. But India must also be careful of some New Zealand players.
Former Indian batsman Ambati Rayudu, speaking in a Star Sports video, said, “We have to be very, very wary of three players.”
Mitchell Santner’s Spin
New Zealand’s bowling depends mainly on their captain, Mitchell Santner, who is a left-arm spinner. He has been instrumental in Dubai. In the semi-final against South Africa in Lahore, he took 3 wickets for 43 runs in the middle overs, making it hard for South Africa to score. Although his seven wickets in four matches may not seem very big, his economy rate of 4.85 runs per over is similar to the way Indian spinners trap batsmen. Santner will be even more important if the tournament’s top wicket-taker, fast bowler Matt Henry, does not recover from his shoulder injury to play in the final.
Rachin Ravindra’s Batting at the Top
Rachin Ravindra, who bats at the top, has scored two centuries in three matches. With 226 runs in three matches at an average of 75.33, he is a big threat to the Indian bowlers. His challenge will be to face the four Indian spinners in Dubai, especially since he scored only six runs in the group match against India before being dismissed by Hardik Pandya.
Devon Conway – The Dark Horse
Rayudu also said that Devon Conway might return to the playing eleven in the final. He warned India not to ignore the attacking skills of this left-handed batsman. Conway played in New Zealand’s first two matches of the Champions Trophy against Pakistan and Bangladesh, scoring 10 and 30 runs respectively. After that, New Zealand chose to open with Will Young and Ravindra in the group match against India and the semi-final against South Africa.
