Key Points
India undefeated seeks revenge for past tournament losses
Tickets range from AED 250 to luxurious AED 12,000 Sky Box
Controversial travel conditions give India potential home advantage
Spinners and key players like Shreyas Iyer and Kane Williamson in spotlight
Ticket prices ranged from AED 250 for general admission to AED 12,000 for the exclusive Sky Box hospitality, and generated an estimated total of AED 9 million from ticket sales.
India will play New Zealand in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy on March 9 at the Dubai International Stadium. India is undefeated in the tournament so far, and the Kiwis have looked rock solid with bat and ball under Mitchell Santner's captaincy.
The clash promises to be an epic sequel to the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy final, which New Zealand won. Men in Blue would like to avenge losses to the Blackcaps in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal and 2021 ICC World Test Championship final.
India did not travel to Pakistan due to security reasons and played all their matches in Dubai, unlike other teams in the tournament who had to travel from Pakistan to Dubai and vice-versa during the league stage and semifinal for their matches.
Teams having to adapt to different playing conditions has generated some controversy in cricketing circles. Ex-cricketers like Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton are among the personalities who have alleged that the scheduling offers an advantage to India because they have a massively reduced travel time, play at just one venue where they know the conditions well, and selected their squad keeping Dubai in mind.
The Black Caps fell short in the battle for top spot in Group A but will undoubtedly be better for the experience. It's all about how they bounce back from that loss and what they learned--how the pitch played in comparison to the wickets in Pakistan and which tactics worked.
India claimed last week's contest against the Kiwis by 44 runs, after posting 249 runs from their 50 overs and restricting New Zealand to 205 runs all out in the 46th over. While there's been a lot of focus on spin bowlers stepping up in the UAE, it was Matt Henry who starred with the ball for the Black Caps, claiming 5/42 off eight overs, in an innings where Shreyas Iyer top-scored for India with a 79 off 98 balls.
Kane Williamson fought valiantly for the Kiwis with an 81 (120 balls), but couldn't find support in the middle order. India's spinners combined for nine wickets, led by 'secret weapon' Varun Chakaravarthy, taking 5/42 - coincidentally the exact figures as Henry for the Kiwis - in what was just the 33-year-old leg-spinner's second One Day International.
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