New Zealand gave India tough competition in the finals of the Champions Trophy 2025. However, their efforts weren’t enough, and they lost the game by four wickets on March 9 at the Dubai International Stadium, Dubai. Team India outplayed them in all departments except fielding, which was absolutely horrible throughout the innings.
The players dropped a few important catches and misfielded. Despite everything, Rohit Sharma’s stellar batting and Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul’s support in the middle order helped India clinch victory. New Zealand made a few mistakes in the game, which we will discuss in the article.
Here are the three reasons why New Zealand lost against India:
Matt Henry’s exclusion
Matt Henry was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament. He sustained a shoulder injury in the semi-final, which led to his exclusion from the finals. That was the biggest loss for the Kiwis since he is a brilliant bowler and gets important breakthroughs at the start of the game. Instead of him, Nathan Smith came in, who wasn’t experienced and failed to take wickets.
Slow game-play by Daryl Mitchell
Daryl Mitchell is an outstanding batter, but he failed to deliver in the finals. Despite scoring a half-century, he played a lot of balls and didn’t score boundaries when the team needed him the most. Even in the 40th over, he played safe and refrained from striking the ball. New Zealand scored 251 runs, which wasn’t a good total in Dubai.
Poor bowling from spinners
When India came to bat, the pitch was a bit slow, and the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat. The spinners could have taken advantage of it, but they failed to do so. Indian spinners were the ones who took most of the wickets in the first innings. However, the Kiwi bowlers didn’t utilize the situation well.
Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.
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