NZ vs IND Dream11 Prediction: 3 players you can pick as captain or vice-captain for today’s Champions Trophy 2025 match – March 2, 2025
New Zealand (NZ) will lock horns with India (IND) in the 12th match of the ICC Champions Trophy (CT 2025) on Sunday, March 2, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. It's the final group-stage game of CT 2025, with the semi-finals set to begin on Tuesday.
While both teams have qualified from Group A, the winner of the clash will top the group and play the first semi-final against Australia (B2), while the losers will take on South Africa, the Group B toppers.
Given the poor form that Pakistan was in and the relatively lesser quality in the Bangladesh team, this is the first big challenge for either team in CT 2025. As a result, this should be an intense and tightly contested fixture.
Let's now look at the top three Dream11 captaincy picks for this match.
#3 Virat Kohli (BAT) (IND)
A back-in-form Virat Kohli could be a hard batter for the New Zealand bowlers to bowl to. India's No.3 broke a run of poor form in ODI cricket with a measured and composed century to guide India to a five-wicket win over Pakistan last Sunday. Kohli's 100* had only seven boundaries, and he scored runs by doing what he does best - milking singles and doubles and playing very few dot balls.
That side of Kohli will come in handy against a disciplined NZ side whose fielding standards and loose ball% will be much better than Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, the No.5 ranked ODI batter in the ICC Rankings has an excellent record against New Zealand - 1645 runs in 31 innings at an average of 58.8 and a strike rate of 95.7.
He certainly has what it takes to be a solid Dream11 captaincy option.
#2 Rachin Ravindra (BAT) (NZ)
Rachin Ravindra returned to the New Zealand playing XI against Bangladesh, creating an instant impact on his return. The southpaw unfazedly stroked his way to a hundred against a spirited Bangladesh bowling attack, scoring at a strike rate of 106.67. Admittedly, the wicket in Dubai will be a more challenging one than the ones in Pakistan, but Rachin certainly has the form and technical ability to excel there.
He could also move back to the top of the order if Daryl Mitchell returns to the side, further bolstering his point-scoring potential through scoring boundaries in the powerplay. Also, given the predominantly right-handedness of the Indian batting lineup, Rachin could also be a very handy bowling option, adding further value to him as a Fantasy pick.
He's an exciting Dream11 captaincy choice.
#1 Shubman Gill (BAT) (NZ)
Moving on to the most obvious Dream11 captaincy choice, and it's none other than the No.1 ODI Batter Shubman Gill. The 25-year-old loves batting against New Zealand. In ten innings, he has scored 590 runs at an average of 84.3 and a strike rate of 109.7, including a double-hundred.
While there is a small risk of an early dismissal courtesy of the law of averages, Gill could easily rack up a huge Dream11 haul by the end of the powerplay in his current form. He truly is in imperious form right now, and it's very hard not to back him with the captain or vice-captain's armband at the moment.