The two best teams of the tournament – India and New Zealand – will take on each other in the final of the Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Sunday. India and New Zealand recently met in the last group stage match of the tournament, in which the former registered a 44-run win.

However, that’s in the past and both teams will look to come up with their best performance in the most important game of the tournament – the final. 

Indian openers – Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill – have been a bit hit-and-miss and they would look to give a perfect start to their team. Rohit Sharma has been giving an aggressive start to his team but he would look to convert his start into a substantial score.

Virat Kohli has done a majestic job for the team while chasing whereas the Indian spin quartet of Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav have done a fabulous job.

Meanwhile, New Zealand is well known to punch above its weight in the major ICC tournaments and once again they have shown their mettle. The Kiwis have been superb in the field and one expects them to throw their bodies on the line in the all-important clash. Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson scored fine centuries against South Africa in the semifinal clash and they are going to hold the key.

Match Prediction: India will enter the contest as favorites against New Zealand but the Blackcaps have the players to surprise Rohit Sharma’s team.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young.