Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai
‘Chris Cairns knocks one to backward square leg off Ajit Agarkar’s full toss and runs across the stadium to celebrate New Zealand Men’s team’s maiden ICC trophy.’ New Zealand’s triumph in the ICC Knockout tournament in 2000 will certainly be etched in the memories of their fans for generations to come. Just connect the dots, and 25 years later, they have a chance to revisit those glory days by lifting the Champions Trophy in Dubai.
Can the Mitchell Santner-led side emulate the heroics of that unfaniced New Zealand set-up? For starters, they have the required resources to counter the spin-friendly climes in Dubai. Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson and to an extent Daryl Mitchell are fine players of spin. Ravindra and Williamson are known for picking the length early and employing the depth of the crease. Meanwhile, Mitchell tries to use his reach to good effect. Glenn Phillips is the designated finisher of the set-up.
More importantly, Santner is at the peak of his bowling prowess. Santner hasn’t just bagged 7 scalps in this tournament so far, but he has done it at an impressive economy rate of 4.85. New Zealand also have Matt Henry, who in turn has gained a reputation of making early incisions with the wobble ball and swing. New Zealand’s batting depth and their noteworthy fielding make it a fine all-round ODI side.
The only problem for New Zealand is they are up against a very formidable Indian ODI outfit. The Indian side has enviable variety in the spin department. Control, some mystery, side-spin, overspin, undercutters and wrist spin – they have all the bases covered. The Asian country also boasts of a long batting line-up, with Ravindra Jadeja being slotted in at No. 8.
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Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer all have the wisdom of experience and batting smarts to play according to different situations of the game. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma will look to turbocharge the engine upfront.
In the pace department, Mohammed Shami has once more lifted his game for an ICC event; currently he is the second highest wicket-taker of the tournament. On the other hand, Hardik has polished his pace-bowling skills, encapsulated by his near-perfect execution of slower short deliveries in the slog overs. India also have got acclimatised to the conditions, having played four games at the Dubai International Stadium.
There is also a subset to the larger narrative surrounding the Indian team – Speculations regarding whether Rohit would hang up his boots from international cricket if his side hoists the trophy. Perhaps he would end up following Vijay Merchant’s wise words: “Retire when people ask why and not when.” Only time will tell.
The Champions Trophy is also important from ODI cricket’s perspective. The format isn’t exactly in its pink of health. The other day, when Australia locked horns versus India in the semifinal, a few kids were seen asking their parents about when we would get to see fours and sixes. Somewhere it also tells us that the one-day format is fighting its final battle against the T20 version of the game. A thrilling final won’t necessarily result in ODI cricket having an upper hand over the shortest format. But it might just provide a little bit of oxygen for 50-over cricket to continue on its illustrious journey.
Also Read: New Zealand Book Their Final Spot Against India After Dominant Win Over South Africa