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New Zealand’s opening pair of Rachin Ravindra and Will Young provided a steady foundation after captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bat in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025 final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Ravindra, who has been in solid form, was given a second chance after a dramatic moment in the seventh over. Mohammed Shami, who was bowling, had the opportunity to send Ravindra back to the pavilion off his own delivery. The left-handed batter chipped a good-length ball back towards the bowler, but Shami, seemingly caught off guard, failed to latch onto the ball, which went to his left.
Shami bhai 🥲🥲#MohammadShami dropped catch of rachin ravindra
In #ChampionsTrophy2025 finale…
.#INDvsNZ #IndiaVsNewZealand
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Shami bhai come on… we know u will bounce back in your next overs 🤞🧿 pic.twitter.com/HZRjCj4Uj0— Pandat_ji (@PANDAT_K_CHORA) March 9, 2025
The pacer attempted to make the catch with his left hand but couldn’t hold on. In what appeared to be a reaction to the ball coming in quickly, Shami initially ducked before extending his hand, but the ball evaded him.
The impact of the miss left Shami in discomfort, and he immediately signaled for the physio. Upon examination, blood was seen dripping from his left hand, leading to a brief five-minute delay for treatment. After the physio attended to him, Shami was able to resume bowling.
This wasn’t the first time Shami had dropped a catch off his own bowling during the Champions Trophy, as he had also missed two catches in the semi-final against Australia earlier in the week. However, Ravindra’s reprieve didn’t end there. In the very next over, off the bowling of Varun Chakravarthy, Ravindra was again fortunate. The Kiwi batter attempted a big sweep shot but only managed to top-edge it. However, Shreyas Iyer, positioned in the deep, was unable to hold on to the chance.
Despite these early mishaps, Ravindra and Will Young fought hard, building a solid partnership. The pair contributed 57 runs for the first wicket, setting a new record for the highest opening stand against India in the 2025 Champions Trophy. However, their stand was eventually broken when Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Young for 15 off 23 balls, cutting short the partnership.
Earlier, New Zealand’s captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to bat first, but the Black Caps were dealt a blow when pacer Matt Henry was ruled out due to fitness concerns. Nathan Smith replaced him in the playing XI.
As the match progressed, New Zealand’s top order faced challenges but managed to recover, keeping the game evenly poised in the early stages of the final.
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