Clash Of Champions: 5 key points for fans ahead of Champions Trophy final

India Today

Champions Trophy 2025: The grand finale between Rohit Sharma's India and Mitchell Santner's New Zealand is expected to keep fans at the edge of their sets with jaw-dropping action expected at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Transcript

00:00India take on New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final.

00:04And here we are for one last time at Clash of Champions.

00:08This is me Debo Deena Chakraborty with Alan Jose John.

00:12And today we talk about the 5 things that every Indian cricket fan needs to keep in mind

00:18before sitting on your couch and switching on the Champions Trophy final on March 9th.

00:23So Alan, big time, big match. Lot at stake.

00:33That ICC ODI title, the long awaited one.

00:37And they face New Zealand who have been in considerable good form throughout this tournament.

00:42Beating South Africa, India beating Australia. Excited?

00:46Oh, definitely. It's probably the best match that we can have at the moment.

00:51Two good teams. There is nothing to separate them in terms of pure player battle perspective also.

01:01Everything matches up. You have got two giant teams going at it. It's going to be a cracker.

01:06So for the very first pointer that viewers need to keep in mind, I'm going to talk about Dubai.

01:12We all know that the advantage of playing in Dubai, everybody is blaming that on India.

01:18Is it fair, if you look at it from the spinners perspective, if we all say that spinners has been the key to victories on Dubai.

01:26New Zealand have their own fair share of spinners like Mitchell Sandner, Bracewell.

01:32So do you think there is any notion of advantage going around?

01:35See, this question of advantage, I'm so tired of it.

01:38Like some people saying they have advantage, some people saying these guys have advantage.

01:43Like I said, both teams are equally matched. India are carrying four spinners.

01:48Of which two of them, again, they always trust on the fact that two of them are all-rounders.

01:53New Zealand have Mitchell Sandner, their main man, Michael Bracewell who has stepped up massively.

01:59So you have got two equally matched sides. No advantage is there.

02:04Whichever team reads the pitch very well, they are going to have the advantage on the day.

02:10Because you don't have a crystal ball to predict what is going to happen.

02:15It is as simple as that. You have got conditions, you have got experience playing.

02:19India has played four matches, New Zealand will now play their second match here.

02:24So both teams are balanced, both teams know about the pitch.

02:28Let's just stop talking about who has the advantage.

02:31And the ones who are talking, they themselves have enjoyed familiarity advantage and done absolutely brilliant things.

02:39Oh yeah, absolutely. These people who are talking, mainly coming from English media,

02:45I wonder why they are not talking about, you know, playing…

02:49They have already played in the subcontinent, yes?

02:51Exactly.

02:52They are maybe thinking that we have lost the India Series, we have lost the Champions Trophy.

03:01Our aim is now the ODI World Cup 2027. I think that is what their plan is.

03:05If we can win ODI World Cup 2027, this does not matter.

03:09So maybe they should discuss about what their team needs to do.

03:12Because they are in absolute tatters at the moment.

03:14Good for nothing team that needs to genuinely…

03:18Let's not beat around the bush.

03:21Since they are not mincing about words, let's not also mince about words.

03:25You need a big reset, please focus on that.

03:28We will take care of finals because finals is clearly not for you guys at the moment.

03:32Yeah, let's go.

03:33The next topic we are going to discuss is Varun Chakravarthy.

03:36Oh yeah.

03:37Varun Chakravarthy, as we all know it, has built himself up to be the key man in focus for this big clash.

03:43Yeah.

03:44And I want to know your opinion that do you think the whole 5 wicket haul,

03:49the stress factor for opponents, is it still going to stay the same

03:53now that New Zealand have a taste of what the Indian line-up is like,

03:57what kind of conditions they have to play with, do you think it's still going to be there?

04:02See, Varun Chakravarthy currently, and I want to say it,

04:07he is playing the role of a Jasprit Bumrah in this side.

04:10Might be a big statement, I have made it, that's it.

04:13For the last one year or so, you have seen Varun improve as a bowler.

04:18He has been more thinking about what is the kind of line and length that he needs to go to.

04:23You look at Travis Head's wicket for that matter.

04:26It was his first ball. He knew that Travis Head was going to come at him.

04:30Yet, he stuck to his line, caught the wicket.

04:33So Varun is obviously going to be a threat for these guys.

04:37Especially what we saw on Sunday, last Sunday.

04:40Because I thought at that one point in time, when Varun and nobody was getting that breakthrough,

04:45I thought okay, New Zealand are going to chase this down, end of story.

04:48But then he changed the game.

04:50So obviously that is going to be playing in their minds.

04:52Obviously they have said that we are going to try to nullify this threat and what not.

04:57But it is going to play in their minds.

04:59And Varun is a very, very improved bowler at this point in time.

05:02So you cannot write him off. He is going to be one of the key factors.

05:06If India are going to win, Varun's performance.

05:09If New Zealand are going to win, how they handled him.

05:12Alright, next up, another big man, another key player for the big clash has to be Virat Kohli.

05:20It has to be Virat Kohli.

05:22He is back in his mojo.

05:24He is getting the runs on his back.

05:27But now comes the big moment.

05:29Virat Kohli in big moments, we have never seen the man fail, have we?

05:33Rarely. Rarely we have seen him fail.

05:36So expecting the same because this time he goes up against the likes of Mitchell Sander

05:40who has been good form, in good form with the ball.

05:44So there is a funny stat.

05:45So Virat Kohli has faced 259 deliveries against Mitchell Sander in his ODI career.

05:50He has scored 180 runs of which 138 has been singles.

05:54Only 5 boundaries.

05:55And he has gotten out to Mitchell Sander 3 times.

05:58Mitchell Sander is a very underrated bowler.

06:00Let's start with that.

06:02He, going up against South Africa in that big run chase in the semi-final

06:07bowled 3 beautiful deliveries to get rid of Themba Bahuma,

06:11a well-set Themba Bahuma, a well-set Rassi Van Der Bessen and the main man Andre Klaassen.

06:17So if Virat Kohli, God forbid, he kind of...

06:22Where is wood?

06:23Wood.

06:24We don't have wood.

06:26So if he survives another Glenn Phillips catch, my God, that man has been incredible.

06:32If he survives that, goes into the middle phase, that is where Mitchell Sander is going to come in.

06:37So the key is avoid Glenn Phillips.

06:39At all costs.

06:40At all costs.

06:41Put the ball across the ground.

06:43I am pretty sure he will catch that also.

06:46It should be 90 metres above Glenn Phillips.

06:49Clear it above him.

06:50That is it.

06:51So if Virat Kohli survives that whole initial phase, we have seen how he has handled things.

06:58He has been very calm.

07:00That calmness has given an identity to the Indian team so far in this tournament.

07:04If he can do that, then comes the Mitchell Sander test.

07:08And that is the biggest test.

07:09If he succeeds in that, India is going to win this title.

07:14Now, one man, one hero done.

07:16We move on to the next hero.

07:18That is inevitably Rohit Sharma.

07:20The Indian captain.

07:21Indian captain Rohit Sharma has not been in that good of a touch in this tournament so far.

07:26But you know he has always been about that attitude setting guy from the opening stand.

07:31That he will whack the ball out.

07:33He does not care about the milestones.

07:35And he has repeatedly emphasised on it.

07:37But do you think in a match of this calibre, in a match of this much importance,

07:43potentially both of their last ODI games, we never know.

07:47We never know.

07:48Do you think a big knock from the Indian captain is necessary at this point?

07:53Or the attitude thing still stays intact?

07:55First of all, I want him to win a toss.

07:58Let's see.

07:59Or some people are saying let him lose a toss and win the match.

08:03Either way.

08:04So far so good.

08:05So far so good.

08:06In terms of his approach, see.

08:08Whatever runs that he scores.

08:10Or whatever mode of dismissals, whatever comes into play.

08:14That's all down to his approach.

08:15Exactly.

08:16This is where I feel maybe going into the final, he should try to play the big knocks.

08:21I had a look at his 5 best knocks, 5 highest scores in ODIs.

08:25The funniest thing is, every single game, out of them, the 264, the 209, the 208,

08:33then there is a 171 against Australia and then there is a 162 against West Indies.

08:37All of them, he has gone past the 40th over.

08:41And in the 264 game, he scored his 50 in 72 balls.

08:46His 100 in 100 balls.

08:48And 150 in 125.

08:51It has gone up a notch.

08:53Every single time, he was accelerating.

08:55So maybe that is what is needed.

08:57Instead of going hammer and tongs at the first attempt,

09:01maybe he should just say that whatever balls are there for me to hit,

09:05if I am fully confident, I will go for it.

09:07Otherwise, let me just play a big knock.

09:10Because we need a big knock.

09:11Kohli's 100 against Pakistan has been the one big knock that we have seen here.

09:16The other ones have all been kind of short cameos.

09:19We need a big daddy 100 from the big man himself.

09:22Big daddy 100 indeed.

09:24So finally, I will reveal the reason why I am wearing the Real Madrid jersey.

09:28Why I am keeping both fingers crossed.

09:31It's because I am...

09:33You know that I am one for the superstition kind.

09:35I am taking all kinds of assurance from the very get go.

09:40So I want India to pull on the Real Madrid thingy in the final.

09:45Because Real Madrid don't lose finals.

09:47My whole point is that India does not just have to fight New Zealand in the final.

09:54They have to fight a huge list of jinxes.

09:57Very first, we all know that India have already defeated New Zealand in the group stage.

10:02What we also know that every time that India have defeated someone in the group stage

10:06and have faced the same opponent in the final.

10:09Yeah, 2023 is not a great memory in any of our minds.

10:13Then again, we go to Sundays.

10:15India does not like Sundays, bro.

10:18They do not like Sundays.

10:19Every time they have played a tournament final on a Sunday.

10:23Well, not a good memory either.

10:26So, what do you think?

10:28Is this the time for Rohit Sharma to break another jinx with his story?

10:32I think I would probably...

10:34If you tell this to Rohit Sharma, his reaction would be...

10:36These jinxes are for you people too.

10:40See, at the end of the day, we are all a little bit superstitious.

10:47And you have all these things happening.

10:49But these things are meant to be broken.

10:51So, I expect the Indian team to come up and give a very good performance.

10:56Because they have been by far the best team in this tournament.

10:59Batting-wise, bowling-wise.

11:01Yes, there have been a few jitters here and there.

11:04But apart from that, they have been perfect.

11:06So, let's just not get too much into it.

11:09What is the time?

11:11Okay, it's going to be 5.

11:12So, yeah, probably 6 o'clock I have to find a church.

11:15And then go to a temple, a mosque, a gurudwara.

11:18Packed schedule.

11:20Completely packed schedule.

11:21I am also not taking any chances.

11:23But I am still fully confident that the Indian team can do this.

11:28So, these are the few things that you need to...

11:30This is the most important thing that you need to keep in mind.

11:34Before you switch on.

11:36And switch on with a lot of expectations when you are watching the India vs New Zealand final.

11:40So, this is me, Debodina Chakraborty.

11:42With Alan Hussain Khan.

11:44And yup.

11:45Best of luck India.

11:46Best of luck to you guys.

11:47And tell us your predictions on the comments below.

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