Dubai:

Indian cricket team have been in red-hot form, remaining unbeaten in the tournament so far. Interestingly, in the last 24 matches in the white-ball ICC tournaments, the Rohit Sharma-led side have emerged triumphant in 23 games, with only defeat came in 2023 ODI World Cup final.

India's eye to end their 12-year ICC Champions Trophy drought by overcoming formidable New Zealand's challenge in the final at the iconic Dubai Cricket Stadium here on Sunday, March 9.

However, the head-to-head record between the two teams tells a different story. New Zealand hold a huge 10-6 lead against India in the ICC tournaments. Historically, the Kiwis have a 1-1 advantage in the Champions Trophy, making this matchup a daunting task for India. New Zealand's first win against India came in the 2000 Champions Trophy final, while the Men in Blue emerged victorious in the group stage of the ongoing ninth edition of the tournament. The two teams have met four times in the knockout rounds so far. In this, New Zealand has won 3 times, while Team India has been able to defeat them only once.

The Kiwis will fancy their chances, considering all their top six batters have scored runs in the tournament, while the bowling attack, including pacers, have been exceptional. Crucial contributions from all-rounder Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Michael Bracewell and captain Mitchell Santner add depth in their lineup and pose a threat after their remarkable performance against India in a previous Test series.

Despite criticism regarding New Zealand's acclimatization and Head Coach Gary Stead's statement in which he said, "Those decisions were out of their hands.No doubt coming here after Lahore - we had a full day of travel yesterday - takes it out of you a little bit," The Rohit Sharma & Co. might feel comfortable with their spin bowling attack featuring Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel.

However, in the group stage against India, the Kiwi batters struggled against India's spinners, with Chakarawarthy claiming his maiden five-wicket haul in his career's second ODI. Hence, they will hope Kane Williamson, Will Young and Rachin Ravindra, who excel against spin, to get some runs on the board.

Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel have also played crucial knocks in the middle order, with Shubman Gill losing his touch after the century against Bangladesh in the campaign opener.

As both batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are already in the twilight of their careers, their contributions will be critical. Although Rohit, who has backed his ultra-aggressive approach in ODIs, has been inconsistent, having not been among the runs in the tournament so far, Kohli has regained form, showcasing brilliant performances with a century against Pakistan and a stunning 84-run knock against Australia in the semi-final.

Meanwhile, the cricket fans are wondering whether the timing of the matches has been changed or is there is a rain threat looming over the all-important Champions Trophy final. So, the ICC Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand will be played on Sunday, March 9, as scheduled. The ICC have also made provision of a reverse day for the summit clash, in case the match isn't complete on a scheduled day.

The toss of the ICC Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand will happen at 2 pm IST, while the match begins at 2:30 pm IST.

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