Mohammed Shami Replaced; Rohit To Drop Jadeja? India's Probable XI vs New Zealand

India have won 2 consecutive matches [Source: AP]

On Sunday, India will take on New Zealand in their final group-stage match of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The high-octane face-off is scheduled at the iconic Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Should India Change Their Playing XI vs NZ?

India have been absolutely prolific in the Champions Trophy, securing thumping victories over Bangladesh and Pakistan. Therefore, ideally, India shouldn't tinker with their settled combination before the semifinals unless there's an injury concern. 

However, several reports have claimed that the team management might rest ace fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who recently recovered from an ankle injury. It's worth mentioning that Shami walked off the field due to some discomfort in his right leg. 

Is Rohit Sharma Fit To Feature Vs New Zealand?

There were several reports suggesting Rohit Sharma's hamstring injury ahead of the crucial clash against New Zealand. However, in a positive development for India, Rohit has started practising in the nets and will likely play in this high-profile encounter. 

In 27 ODIs against New Zealand, Rohit has slammed 982 runs at an average of 37.77 and a strike rate of 85.39, and he could be a game-changer for India in the powerplay. 

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Will India Bring Sundar To Counter NZ's Left-Handers?

India have two left-arm spinners- Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja- in their Champions Trophy XI. Although these two players have bowled well in the tournament, fans speculate that India might replace Jadeja (1 wicket in Champions Trophy at an average of 77) with off-spinner Washington Sundar to neutralise New Zealand's LHB-heavy batting unit. 

New Zealand have five left-handed batters in their top eight. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra are top-order players, while Tom Latham, Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner will bat in the middle order. Latham and Ravindra, in particular, have showcased exemplary form in the tournament and could be serious threats to the Indian bowling unit. 

(Performance of Ravindra and Latham in CT 2025)

However, interestingly, these left-handed batters have an exceptional record against right-arm off-spinners; their stats against left-arm orthodox spinners are nothing short of modest, as evidenced by the data below. 

(RAOB: Right-Arm Off-Break, SLAO: Slow Left-Arm Orthodox)

So, as the stats suggest, Latham, Conway, Ravindra, Bracewell, and Santner collectively average 50.9 against right-arm off-spinners while averaging just over 27 versus the left-arm spinners. Although India could still opt to bring Sundar for Jadeja, it ideally shouldn't happen, considering the move might not yield significant results for them. 

Arshdeep To Replace Shami, Reports Claim

According to PTI, India might rest Shami and bring Arshdeep back into their ODI team for the third group-stage match against New Zealand. Therefore, unless there's an injury concern, this will probably be India's only change from their last game against Pakistan. 

India's Probable Playing XI vs New Zealand

Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja/Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana

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