Last Updated:
Nasser Hussain believes New Zealand won’t choke in the Champions Trophy 2025 final against India. He praises their tough cricketers and highlights their past victories over India in crucial matches.
New Zealand captain Tom Latham (AP Photo)
Former England captain Nasser Hussain is confident that New Zealand won’t ‘bottle it’ or choke in the Champions Trophy 2025 final on Sunday and India will have to be at their best to beat them. He said the Kiwis have been carried to the summit clash by some ‘very, very tough cricketers’, who don’t make too many errors.
India have experienced this Kiwi grit before. Despite coming from a much smaller country with far fewer sporting resources, New Zealand have bested good Indian sides in big matches like the 2019 World Cup semi-final and the 2021 World Test Championship final. Their Test side also became the first to whitewash India in India in a series of two or more red-ball internationals only a few months ago.
“They will not bottle it, they won’t choke,” Hussain told Sky Sports. “We were having dinner with (former Australia captain) Aaron Finch and he summed it up pretty well in saying New Zealand are never a side that beat themselves. And by that, he means that they will rock up, and they will put in a performance. All the way through the New Zealand lineup they have some very, very tough cricketers who turn up to every single game and give it their absolute best – that’s why they will always be there around semi-finals and finals.”
“They also have that great mixture between senior pros that have been there year in, year out – like Kane Williamson, one of the all-time greats – and youth in the likes of Rachin Ravindra. They may well lose [New Zealand], but if they do, it will be because India beat them,” Hussain added.
New Zealand reached the final by beating Bangladesh and Pakistan in the group stage and then heavyweights South Africa in the semi-final on Wednesday. The only team they have lost so far in the tournament is India, who won by 44 runs in the final match of Group A.
Rohit Sharma’s Men in Blue are coming through unbeaten, with big wins over Bangladesh and Pakistan and a narrow four-wicket triumph over Australia in the semi-final on Tuesday.
For more in-depth coverage of the Champions Trophy, check out the latest Points Table to see where your favorite team stands. Stay updated on the tournament’s top performers with the Most Runs and Most Wickets leaderboards. Keep following for all the latest updates!
