Who said what - top 5 expert reactions in the lead-up to IND vs NZ 2025 Champions Trophy final ft. Ravichandran Ashwin

India will clash with New Zealand in the much-awaited 2025 Champions Trophy final on Sunday (March 9) in Dubai. The Men in Blue prevailed over Australia, while the Blackcaps beat South Africa in the semifinals.

Both teams clashed in their respective group stage fixtures as well. The Rohit-Sharma led side could only post 249 on the board, with Shreyas Iyer (79) as the top contributor. Matt Henry scalped five wickets for the Kiwi side.

Thereafter, Varun Chakaravarthy finished with a fifer to bundle out New Zealand for 205. Kane Williamson was the top-scorer for them with an 81-run knock.

On that note, let's take a look at the experts' thoughts on the 2025 Champions Trophy between India and New Zealand.

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#1 Michael Clarke

Former Australian World Cup-winning captain Michael Clarke suggested New Zealand study the reasons why Australia failed to defend their total against India in the semifinal. He feels the Blackcaps need to bat first and post a big total on the board to put the opposition under pressure.

He said on Beyond23 Cricket Podcast (from 18:03 onwards):

"New Zealand can watch that game and say what could have Australia done better with 270 on the board against India to win that game. I think if you get to that if you get to that place where you can turn 270 into 300 significant that extra 30 runs, just to put especially in a final with a team batting second."

Clarke opined that the Kiwi side can play spinners well but needs to opt for an aggressive approach to win the final.

"If you can attack India, you have look to bowl them out. So that means aggressive attitude, aggressive tactically in the field and hang on to every opportunity. If they just look at those fundamentals, I think they can win the game."

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#2 Sanjay Manjrekar

During an interaction on ESPNcricinfo, former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar lauded New Zealand's consistent performance in ICC events.

The 59-year-old opined that the Black Caps are heading into this game with confidence after Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson scored centuries in the semifinal against South Africa. He said:

"The biggest development from that last two defeat are two guys getting hundreds. People like Tom Latham, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson, they know how to get big scores against spinners, that might just be their focus in this game."

Manjrekar feels Ravindra will look to put Patel and Jadeja under pressure in this game, just like he did with Keshav Maharaj against South Africa.

"I believe Axar Patel and Jadeja will see something they haven't until now in the tournament. They will see a top-order left-handed batter go after them, in the sense it won't be counter-attacking or trying to put them out of the game. That's his natural style of batting, which we saw against Keshav Maharaj. If ball is there in the slot, he goes through with a big shot and if isn't within his reach, he plays it out for a single. He will not play these two spinners from the crease which will test them both," he added.

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#3 Ravichandran Ashwin

The legendary Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin did an in-depth analysis of the 2025 Champions Trophy final on his YouTube channel. When discussing match-ups, Ashwin feels the battle between Mohammed Shami and Rachin Ravindra will be crucial from the match's perspective.

Ashwin thinks that India's left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel would not be as potent against a left-hander, Ravindra. He said on his YouTube channel (from 15:07 onwards):

"One match-up that I would look to see is Mohammed Shami vs Rachin Ravindra. India's two left-arm spinners will be nullified with Ravindra's presence. Then, I think Rachin picks Kuldeep Yadav's googly, while Rohit [Sharma] doesn't use Varun Chakaravarthy too much against left-handers. Tom Latham can also play good sweeps against spinners."

The 38-year-old pointed out that Shami dismissed Ravindra during the 2023 World Cup, and their match-up can have major repercussions on the game's result. He added:

"Taking all into consideration, Rachin Ravindra vs Mohammed Shami becomes a classic match-up. Notably, Shami disturbed his flow in Wankhede during the 2023 World Cup. As Ravindra has a strong off-side play, Shami's deliveries from round the wicket generally sees him creating a chance to induce an edge from the batters. If Rachin can get through that, it will be big for New Zealand, while if Shami can create the dent, it's massive for India."

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#4 Brad Hogg

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg talked about the individual players of both teams during his preview of the game. As per Hogg, Shreyas Iyer will play a key role for India, due to his ability to free off the pressure from the other batters with his aggressive style.

Here's what he said on his YouTube channel (from 2:42 onwards):

"Shreyas Iyer makes the difference for India in the middle-order. Look at the stats, he makes more runs than most others in partnerships. With his aggression, he releases the pressure off the other end. He's probably the most important player in this side, just to relieve that pressure from everyone else."

Hogg further claimed that the Blackcaps will have their plan ready to counter Varun Chakaravarthy, who finished with a fifer in their previous clash. He thinks the partnership of Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham will be important for New Zealand to gain success against Chakaravarthy.

"He (Varun) played well against New Zealand once. But, I think New Zealand will have worked him out and will come in play with a different method. I would look to see Mitchell using his height against Chakaravarthy, try to come down the wicket, put him off his line-length. His partnership with Latham, who likes to sweep, those two are crucial against Varun," Hogg added (from 5:20 onwards).

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#5 Tim Southee

During an interaction on ESPNcricinfo, former New Zealand skipper Tim Southee hailed the Blackcaps for having the skills to perform well on different pitches. He said:

"I think they are a great side and will assess the conditions and play smart cricket. You look the batting line-up on paper, there's a lot more powerful batting line-ups than them but the skills that the guys have to be able to different surfaces."

Southee also lauded Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra for their impressive partnership against South Africa. He added:

"We saw how Kane Williamson was able to switch tempo as he understood that they need to push on. The way Rachin was playing allowed Kane to soak up the initial phase. So, I think the guys are combining extremely well but will have adapt to a different surface in Dubai."