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Shoaib Akhtar has come up with a winning strategy for New Zealand to conquer India challenge in the upcoming Champions Trophy final. The highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final is set to take place at the Dubai International Stadium on March 9, pitting India against New Zealand. India are the only side in the Champions Trophy 2025 who is still unbeaten. Not just this they also have a psychological advantage heading into the title clash, having defeated New Zealand in the league-stage match. Their dominant performance continued in the semi-final, where they gunned down World Champions Australia, which sealed their spot in the final. However, New Zealand have gained valuable experience playing in the Dubai conditions and will be aiming to leverage this advantage in the final.
Historically, New Zealand have proven to be a formidable opponent for India in ICC knockout matches. They have notched up wins in the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy final, the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and the World Test Championship final, establishing a pattern of upsetting the Men in Blue on the biggest stages.
Shoaib Akhtar has a plan for New Zealand to beat India in Champions Trophy final
In anticipation of the final, Pakistan's pace legend Shoaib Akhtar and Shoaib Malik have analysed New Zealand's potential strategy. Akhtar doesn't want New Zealand to play like underdogs against India. He believes that by fostering a mindset of confidence and conviction, New Zealand can challenge and potentially overcome the formidable Indian team.
"Ye bhul jana chaie ki India samne hai, ye bhul jana chahie ki aap lesser team hai. (It should be forgotten that you are up against India, you should forget that you are the underdogs). You should forget that you are not good. Santner has that belief. I have seen it in him. As a captain, he wants to win the title.," Akhtar said on 'Game on Hai'.
Shoaib wants New Zealand's bowlers to keep India captain Rohit Sharma in check. He stressed the need for New Zealand to effectively contain Sharma's aggressive batting style during the initial ten overs, as his explosive starts can impact the match's momentum. Moreover, Akhtar pointed to New Zealand's captain, Mitchell Santner, emphasizing the importance of his leadership in orchestrating the bowling attack. He believes Santner must lead from the front, employing tactical acumen to restrict India's formidable batting lineup.
Akhtar feels if New Zealand team perform to the best of their abilities they can get the better of India in the Champions Trophy final.ALSO READ: Abrar Ahmed openly apologises to Shubman Gill for his abrupt send off during IND vs PAK Champions Trophy clash, says 'That’s my style but...'
"You have to do the right thing at the right time. You have to break the onslaught. Rohit Sharma will on the attack. He will try to neutralise your spinners. He will attack Santner. At that point, he has to handle his team as a leader. If you ask me about odds I would say 70-30 to India. When it comes to batting, their spinners, and their maturity, but if New Zealand can bring their A-game on that day (they can win)," he added.
For New Zealand's batting lineup, the impending confrontation with India's spin attack presents a big hurdle. Shoaib Malik wants Kiwi batters should draw inspiration from Steve Smith's approach in the semi-final. Malik talked about the importance of capitalising on good starts, urging New Zealand's batters to emulate Smith's ability to convert solid foundations into substantial scores. Malik believes that a similar strategy, focused on accumulating a large score once they establish themselves at the crease, is essential for New Zealand to overcome India's potent spin threat.
"What separates Indian batters is their ability to rotate the strike. That plays a huge role in taking them to a good total and even while chasing a good score. The innings that Smith played is a good example to negate the Indian spinners. He made use of then extra fielder in the circle, came down the track, tried to find the gaps. Thirdly, whoever gets into 20s-30s should try and get to 80s, 90s or 100," Malik further stated.
