New Zealand have qualified for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final and will meet India on March 9 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The Kiwis posted 362/7 against South Africa and registered a 50-run win in their semifinal in Lahore. The stars of the show were Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra, who scored hundreds. Glenn Phillips scored an attacking 49 runs, while captain Mitchell Santner took three wickets.
Former Pakistan player Wahab Riaz feels New Zealand can upset India in the final as they have players who are masters in one-day internationals.
In their previous meeting in the ongoing tournament, India defended 249 and won the contest by 44 runs. New Zealand batters were restricted by Varun Chakravarthy, who took five wickets in his just second ODI. The sub-continent team is undefeated, having won matches against Bangladesh, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Australia.
Wahab was asked to name two players to watch out for from the New Zealand side, and the veteran put forward Williamson and Rachin’s names.
“Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson are impactful players. They both play spinners well, and India have four in their playing XI. New Zealand will rely on these two as if they attack the Indian spinners, it will put the rival team under pressure. Rachin has all the shots and he can be dangerous in the top order,” he said.
“Kane Williamson has been giving performances for New Zealand for a long time and he likes to perform in big matches,” he added.
Related