New Zealand is unbeaten thus far in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025, with their toughest game (against India) on Sunday (Mar 2) saved for the last. On the other hand, India won their two matches played in Dubai, waiting for the Kiwi challenge on the sluggish UAE track. Though both teams have already qualified for the semis, this contest remains crucial to their table standings; Kiwi gun fielder Glenn Phillips feels his team is ready for it.

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Phillips believes New Zealand has the right mix of bowlers to put India down in this dead rubber in Dubai. With seamers - William O’Rourke and Matt Henry doing the job upfront and three spin bowling all-rounders, including their captain Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell, taking care of the middle order, Phillips admits his team has the exact tools needed to hand India its first loss in this tournament.

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Backing the team's bowling attack to stay on top of India while admitting how crucial the plan execution would be in Dubai, Phillips said, “It comes down to the execution on pitches like this. We've got two really good spinners [Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell], and then all-rounders in myself and Rachin Ravindra to be able to offer overs if we're needed.

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“And then we've got three high-quality pace bowlers - Matt Henry nips it on glass, and our two big tall boys [Kyle Jamieson and Will O'Rourke] that have got variable bounce and in Pakistan have been quite tough to play. I think that covers our bases quite nicely,” he continued.

Master strategy

While India is the only team to play all its matches at one venue, including the knockouts (should they qualify for the finale), New Zealand has played all of it at different stadiums this time. 

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Winning against different teams at separate venues is a testament to New Zealand’s steadiness and success as an ODI unit; against India in Dubai, they have their cards ready for the Super Sunday tie. 

Also read | Champions Trophy 2025: Rotating strike against spinners or pacers is a challenge, admits KL Rahul

Shedding more light on this, Phillips said, "I think the beauty of Pakistan is every pitch we've played on has been significantly different to the last, and I think that's been great preparation for us coming over to Dubai, knowing that the pitch is going to be different again. 

"We've had a lot of different situations, we've had balls that have spun, we've had surfaces that have been flat and fast, and boundaries that are small.

"This ground presents us with a different challenge of being potentially a little bit slower, more void of grass and maybe slightly slower outfields. So I think we pride ourselves on trying to be as adaptable as possible,” he added.

Meanwhile, should New Zealand beat India in Dubai, they will face Australia in the second semis in Lahore on Wednesday (Mar 5); however, if India prevail in this marquee contest, New Zealand will take on the Proteas at the same venue. 

(With inputs from agencies)