India face New Zealand for a second time in the 2025 Champions Trophy and while the first match was effectively a dead rubber, the second is the one that will decide the title itself. Both India and New Zealand have consistently been among the main contenders for the big titles in cricket for over the past decade or so and former England captain Nasser Hussain has said that the Kiwis are no pushovers, reports Hindustan Times.
India stand a chance at winning a second ICC title in less than a year, having beaten South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup last year. South Africa, who are still trying to shed the ingominous tag of “chokers” when they play big tournament, had lost the match despite needing just 30 runs to win off the last five overs of the match.
Hussain said that New Zealand probably will be a tougher cookie to crack in those situations.
“They will not bottle it, they won't choke. We were having dinner with [former Australia captain] Aaron Finch and he summed it up pretty well in saying New Zealand are never a side that beat themselves. And by that, he means that they will rock up and they will put in a performance," said Hussain on Sky Sports.
"All the way through the New Zealand lineup they have some very, very tough cricketers who turn up to every single game and give it their absolute best - that's why they will always be there around semi-finals and finals."
New Zealand have been in sensational form throughout their tour of Pakistan. They were hardly challenged by South Africa and Pakistan in the tri-series that they played in the latter nation before the Champions Trophy.
Within the tournament itself, they comfortably won the two group matches they played in Pakistan but lost to India by 44 runs in Dubai. They then returned to Pakistan to beat South Africa by 50 runs in the semi-final.
“They also have that great mixture between senior pros that have been there year in, year out - like Kane Williamson, one of the all-time greats - and youth in the likes of Rachin Ravindra. They may well lose [New Zealand], but if they do, it will be because India beat them,” said Hussain.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
