Unbeaten India face record-setting New Zealand for Champions Trophy glory

India play New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final in Dubai on Sunday in what could be a last hurrah for veteran stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma The 36yearold Kohli and skipper Rohit 37 came into the 50over tournament with speculation swirling over when they will retire following lean patches in Test cricket Mainstays of a formidable India side for more than 15 years the duo retired from T20 internationals after winning the World Cup last year This weekend could be the end for them in ODIs with the next 50over World Cup not until 2027 I am sure Rohit will lead India to a title He will have another ICC trophy soon former seam bowler Praveen Kumar told The Times of India I will only say that Virat and Rohit give us one more ICC trophy before you retire he added India go into the final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium as favourites and with their confidence skyhigh They have won all four of their matches at the eightnation tournament including beating New Zealand by 44 runs in the group phase although both teams had already reached the semifinals by then Rohits side have played all their games in Dubai after refusing to visit Champions Trophy hosts Pakistan because of political tensions Rohit and Kohli came into the competition under pressure Master batsman Kohli silenced his critics with an unbeaten 100 against archrivals Pakistan then hit a matchwinning 84 against world champions Australia in the semifinals Rohits highest score has been 41 in their opening win over Bangladesh but the opener has been lauded for handing the team quick starts to build totals on at a venue where batting is tough India who are looking to win the Champions Trophy for a record third time also boast a worldclass spin attack They unleashed four spinners in beating New Zealand with Varun Chakravarthy returning figures of 542 to help bowl out the Black Caps for 205 in their chase of 250 India were unchanged against Australia as the spinheavy selection came up trumps again albeit on a Dubai pitch that turned a little less that time aroundIn front of them lies a New Zealand team hoping to win the tournament for the second time having done so in 2000 in what was the second edition of a competition likened to a mini World CupThe Black Caps powered into the final by beating South Africa by 50 runs in Lahore But the victory came at a price with an injury to pace bowler Matt Henry after he landed on his shoulder awkwardly while taking a catch Henry who took 542 against India in the group phase is in a race to be fit for Sunday Still a little bit unknown at this stage head coach Gary Stead said Hes obviously pretty sore just from landing on the point of his shoulder Hopeful he will be okay Batsman Rachin Ravindra hammered 108 in New Zealands Champions Trophy record total of 362 against South Africa at the battingfriendly Gaddafi Stadium Ravindra put together 164 runs with veteran batsman Kane Williamson who hit 102 The lefthanded Ravindra who also bowls leftarm spin has amassed 226 from three matches after he returned from a nasty hit to his forehead in a triseries match in Pakistan The Wellingtonborn Ravindra is of Indian origin with his parents hailing from Bengaluru We dont quite know how the Dubai pitch is like said Ravindra I think we pride ourselves in adapting and playing the situation in front of us so will see what happens in the next couple of days and hope its a good cricket wicket India might be favourites and will have much of the crowd at the 25000capacity Dubai stadium roaring them on but recent history is actually with New Zealand They registered a surprise 30 Test whitewash in India in October and November last year The Black Caps also hold a clear advantage over India with nine wins six losses and one noresult at global whiteball tournaments