India have rested their speedster Harshit Rana for this game, as confirmed by Rohit.
After winning the toss, New Zealand opted to field first in the last league-stage fixture against India in the Champions Trophy 2025. India captain Rohit Sharma confirmed they were looking to bat first anyway, which means both teams got what they wanted.
India have made one change in playing XI from their last fixture against Pakistan, bringing in Varun Chakravarthy. They have rested their lead speedster Harshit Rana for this game, as confirmed by Rohit.
Rana played both matches in the tournament, so India must have decided to rest him before the all-important semifinal clash. India will get only a one-day gap between the two games. Thus, the team won’t have enough time to rejuvenate before the semifinal.
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Hence, Rana will get enough rest to remain fit and firing for the big contest in the knockout phase and should bring out his best game. India have already qualified for the semifinal, so they can try a few combinations and check the form of other players.
One bewildering decision is why India opted to bring in a spinner to replace a pacer in the XI. The reason behind this move might be trends in the last two games.
Spinners will get more assistance in the second innings after the pitch gets slower and lower due to batting in the first dig. That means Varun Chakravarthy, who possesses a range of variations, will become more potent and have a higher chance of succeeding with the ball.
New Zealand have some of the finest spin players in world cricket, so India might have thought to strengthen this area by bringing in an additional spinner. Varun hasn’t played enough ODI cricket, so he brings some mystery factor, which can be decisive against a high-flying Kiwi batting unit.
This will also help them understand whether Varun can succeed on these decks after playing in India. If he does well here, India might draft him in the XI again because spinners will get more assistance off the deck as the tournament reaches the final stage.
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