Star Indian batter Shubman Gill has been the highlight of India’s Champions Trophy campaign and will be a major highlight in the India vs New Zealand final match scheduled on the 9th of March in Dubai.
Gill’s return to the Indian ODI side left behind the criticism he faced owing to his weak performance for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He made a commanding return in the ODI series against England, where he was the highest scorer with a hundred and consecutive half-centuries in the three-match series.
Shubman Gill also made his ICC Champions Trophy in style when he announced his arrival on the international platform with a stunning hundred on debut. For his impact on India’s success, Shubman Gill has been nominated for the ICC Player of the Month for February.
Alongside him, Aussie skipper Steve Smith, who recently retired from international ODI cricket after Australia’s semi-final defeat against India, which marked their exit from the Champions Trophy, was also made a nominee for the Player of the Month.
The immense impact has been on New Zealand’s Champions Trophy campaign, due to Glenn Phillips‘s stunning performance with the bat, ball, and especially on the field. Phillips had been often referred to as the greatest fielder of the current generation, also drawing parallels with the great Jonty Rhodes. He is the third nominee on our list of Player of the Month awardees.
India vs New Zealand: Big Blow for NZ in the Champions Trophy final
New Zealand star pacer Matt Henry has been possibly reported to be unavailable for the upcoming Champions Trophy final clash between India and New Zealand.
The Kiwi pacer has had a very good tournament; he picked 10 wickets so far in the tournament playing in 4 games, of which 5 wickets came against India, possibly the toughest opposition they faced in this edition of the Champions Trophy.
Henry has been the star of New Zealand’s limited-overs campaign for over two years now, ever since his comeback. If Henry misses out on the occasion, likely New Zealand will be left with 2 options, Nathan Smith and Jacob Duffy. Of them, Nathan Smith might be the one picked since he starred in the first game before Jamieson was deemed fit to make his appearance.
