Sun Mar 09 10:35:25 UTC 2025: ## Santner Wins Toss, India Faces Record Toss Losing Streak in Champions Trophy Final
**Dubai, UAE:** New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bat first in the Champions Trophy 2025 final against India on Sunday. The decision comes as India extends their unfortunate streak of losing the toss in ODIs to 15 consecutive matches, a record equaled by West Indies legend Brian Lara. This is the twelfth consecutive toss loss under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, a statistically improbable occurrence.
Despite the loss, Indian captain Rohit Sharma stated that batting second wouldn’t be a significant disadvantage, emphasizing their confidence in chasing targets.
New Zealand were forced into a late change, with star pacer Matt Henry ruled out due to a shoulder injury. Nathan Smith replaced Henry in the Kiwi lineup. India fielded an unchanged XI.
Santner expressed his team’s intent to post a substantial score, noting the similar pitch conditions to their previous encounter with India a week prior. He also acknowledged the passionate atmosphere at the Dubai stadium.
The final features the following playing XIs:
**India:** Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy
**New Zealand:** Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Kyle Jamieson, William O’Rourke, Nathan Smith
The match promises a thrilling encounter between two strong cricketing nations.
First Piper 