The New Zealand cricket team is a selection conundrum at hand. For their last group stage of the ICC Champions Trophy, they’ll have to drop one of Will Young, Devon Conway, or Rachin Ravindra. Their middle-order stabilizer, Daryl Mitchell, who was ruled out for the Bangladesh fixture due to injury, will be available for the India vs. New Zealand match.
Daryl Mitchell fit for India vs New Zealand match
On the eve of the game, the batting all-rounder confirmed that he doesn’t have any injury issues. He had a slight niggle, which won’t trouble him anymore.
“Obviously, disappointing to miss the last game with being a bit crook. It’s nice to be back with the group now and get out of the hotel room and to be involved in training and looking forward to the next match. It’s another game of cricket that I’m just really excited to represent our country in, and it should be good fun come Sunday,” Mitchell told reporters in Dubai.
Will Young, Conway, or Rachin Ravindra—who will Santner drop?
Over the last couple of years, Tom Latham and Daryl Mitchell have been their confirmed middle-over batters. Latham has been on and off, but Mitchell has been on point ever since making his debut in 2021. He averages nearly 50 while striking at 97 in the format. One can’t forget he hit two hundreds against India in the ODI World Cup 2023 as well.
If we compare performances, Conway might be the one who gets dropped for Mitchell. Rachin Ravindra came in for Mitchell in the last game and smashed his fourth ICC event hundred. Will Young scored a century in the Champions Trophy 2025 opener. Meanwhile, Conway has scored 40 runs in the ongoing tournament while striking at 64.
On top of the batting, Mitchell can give a couple of overs as well. He’s not a bowling all-rounder, but his bowling can come in handy. Latham is keeping the wickets, so letting Conway doesn’t make that much of a difference with Rachin moving to the opener spot, like he did in the ODI World Cup.
New Zealand squad for ICC Champions Trophy
Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Kyle Jamieson
