India vs New Zealand: Left-arm spinners to lead the charge against Kiwis

Going into the ICC Champions Trophy final, Team India stand out as the favorites for the title. However, New Zealand are no less of a match for the in-form Men in Blue. While the India vs. New Zealand group-stage encounter ended in a defeat for the Kiwis, they now know what's ahead to tackle in the final. As it turns out, if the group-stage match was a learning lesson, the Kiwis have learned to assess the pain points well. A late insight into the New Zealand camp right ahead of the Champions Trophy final suggests that the Kiwis are especially wary of the left-arm spin attack that India poses.

Net bowler reveals insights from the Kiwi camp ahead of India vs New Zealand final

Team India stand on the brink of securing the Champions Trophy 2025 title, with only one hurdle left, the final showdown against New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday. In the lead-up to the much-awaited clash, net bowler Shashwat Tiwari has shed light on a critical flaw in the Kiwi batting lineup, which could work in India’s favor. Tiwari, who bowled to the New Zealand batters in a practice session, revealed insights into their game plan. He disclosed that the Kiwis were focusing on improving their approach against left-arm spinners but were visibly struggling.

“Today, I fortunately got to bowl. Well, at one point in time, he asked me to bowl from 18 yards just to prepare for Ravindra Jadeja. It is because of the kind of pace he has; he was expecting that kind of speed. We bowled from that point, and we did it nicely. But when he realised the ball was coming too quickly, he asked me to bowl from 22 yards,” the net bowler informed.

“They are preparing for left-armers. I won't say they are struggling. Of course, our Indian team has top-class spinners, but I don't think they will be able to cope with them,” he added.

India is most likely to field a spin-heavy attack, expected to rely on the quartet of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakaravarthy. Varun Chakaravarthy, in particular, has been in red-hot form. The 44-run victory against New Zealand in the group stage was orchestrated by the five-wicket haul of the Champions Trophy debutant. Put in to bat first, India could muster 249, fueled by a gritty 79-run knock from Shreyas Iyer and a 45-run contribution from Hardik Pandya. However, the defense, which initially seemed easy to breach, proved insurmountable for the Kiwis, thanks to India's spin front.

Moreover, Chakravarthy also played a key role in the semi-final against Australia, where he registered figures of 2/49 in his 10-over spell. Rightfully, New Zealand's coach, Gary Stead, expressed ahead of the final that the squad saw Chakravarthy as one of the biggest threats in the fixture. With just hours to go before the final showdown, it's not a long wait to see how New Zealand fares against the Indian spinners this time around.