India's misfortune at the toss shows no signs of ending, as they have now lost 15 consecutive tosses in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), with 12 of those occurring under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. The probability of such a streak happening is an incredibly low 0.0031%, or 0.000031.

This latest toss defeat sees Rohit join a rather dubious record, equalling West Indies legend Brian Lara for the most consecutive tosses lost by a captain in ODI history.

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It is the 15th consecutive toss India has lost since the 2023 Cricket World Cup final in November 2023 – the longest such run for any team in one-day internationals.

NZ opt to bat

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the coin toss and chose to bat first against India in the 2025 Champions Trophy final on Sunday.

India is the only unbeaten side in the tournament after wins against Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in the group phase, and then Australia in the semifinal. All matches were played in Dubai after the Indian government refused permission for its team go to ‘hosts’ Pakistan on security grounds.

New Zealand beat Pakistan in Karachi, and then Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, before making the trip to Dubai to play India. The Black Caps then returned to Pakistan where it beat South Africa in the second semifinal at Lahore.

Both sides have previously won this tournament. India's last success came in 2013 and were runners-up to Pakistan in 2017. It also shared the trophy with Sri Lanka in 2002 after a rain-affected two-day final.

New Zealand won the Champions Trophy (then the ICC Knockout Trophy) in 2000 – it beat India in the final at Nairobi, Kenya. It remains the only limited-overs ICC trophy in the Black Caps’ cabinet.

Pacer Matt Henry, who leads the tournament with 10 wickets in four matches has been ruled out with a shoulder injury sustained during the semifinal. Medium pace allrounder Nathan Smith is his replacement in the only change for New Zealand.

India has fielded an unchanged eleven from the semifinal and has again opted for four spin options. (With inputs from Agencies)