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While speaking to reporters in Dubai on Friday, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate hinted that the team might ring in some changes in the bowling attack for its last group match against New Zealand.
India will face New Zealand in Champions Trophy 2025 Group A match on March 2. (Picture Credit: X/@BCCI)
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate on Friday (February 28) hinted that Indian team management could make a couple of changes in the bowling attack for the match against New Zealand. India will face New Zealand in the last Group A match of the Champions Trophy 2025 on Sunday, March 2, in Dubai. For the match scheduled to take place at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, where Team India has already won two matches so far in the ongoing tournament, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh could come in place of Mohammed Shami.
Shami, who is India’s most successful bowler in ICC white-ball tournaments, was struggling with fitness in the last match against Pakistan, and ahead of the semifinal match on Tuesday (March 4) in Dubai, he could be rested.
“We’ve had two pretty tough training sessions, so that’s been the preparation. In terms of the bench strength, I think the priority is making sure that we have our best guys available and fully fit for the second game (semifinal on March 4),” Doeschate told reporters on Friday.
“But we also don’t want to rest them for another two days. So to get that balance right, we might just try to share the bowling out a little bit. But we obviously want to win against New Zealand as well.”
“It’s important that we keep that momentum going. And obviously to top the group as well. So the balance of those two things I just mentioned for the selection to be thought about,” he added.
Arshdeep played a big role in India’s T20 World Cup title win last year by taking 17 wickets in eight matches. He finished as the joint-leading wicket-taker in the tournament, which was played from June 1 to 29 in multiple venues across the West Indies and USA. But despite his seniority and good performances in the white-ball format, he was not preferred by the team management for a place in the playing XI in the last two matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan. Instead, Harshit Rana played ahead of him and bowled with the new ball.
Rana, however, didn’t disappoint and picked up 3 and 1 wicket against Bangladesh and Pakistan, respectively.
- Location :
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
