"They Won't Bottle It": India Given Major 'New Zealand' Warning By Ex-England Captain Ahead Of Final

India take on New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 final in Dubai on March 9, attempting to create history and becoming the record holders of the tournament. However, history will be against India, as they have never been able to beat New Zealand in the final of an ICC tournament previously. Should India win, it will end a 37-year-old streak of not winning any international cricket final against the Kiwis. The fact that New Zealand will be no pushovers has been emphasized by former England captain Nasser Hussain, ahead of the final.

"They will not bottle it, they won't choke. We were having dinner with Aaron Finch and he summed it up pretty well by saying that 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," Nasser Hussain said, speaking on Sky Sports.

New Zealand have twice faced India in the final of a major ICC tournament, winning on both occasions.

The first instance came in the 2000 ICC KnockOut Cup final (the previous name for the Champions Trophy), where the Black Caps beat India in a nail-biting contest.

The second instance is more recent, where New Zealand outclassed India in 2021 to lift the World Test Championship (WTC) title.

"All the way through the New Zealand line-up, 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," Hussain added.

New Zealand have reached the crunch stages of several 50-over tournaments over the past decade, chief amongst them being the 2015 and 2019 World Cup finals.

Hussain added that New Zealand will be a dangerous side due to the balance of youth and experience present