Mumbai, March 1: The presence of five left-handed batters in the New Zealand line-up and the slight calf trouble faced by Mohammed Shami during the Pakistan game may force the Indian team management to play left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh in the Sunday's Champions Trophy game. If the Friday's practice session was an indication, then the Punjab pacer in all likelihood will replace Shami, who has recently returned to the national fold following a long injury lay-off. India vs New Zealand ICC Champions Trophy History: A Look at Past Results, Records and Top Performers of IND vs NZ Matches Ahead of Mega Match in CT 2025.

Arshdeep trained under the watchful eyes of bowling coach Morne Morkel, bowling 13 overs with full run-up while Shami only bowled 6-7 overs with a curtailed run-up. He was not bowling full steam. During the game against Pakistan on February 23, Shami had received treatment in his right leg from the physios just after bowling his third over of the innings. IND vs NZ ICC Champions Trophy 2025: India Look To Sharpen Spin Play, Giving a Run to Fringe Players Against New Zealand.

The body language of the players during the training session on Friday suggested that India are likely to give Shami a much-needed break before all important semi-finals. While KL Rahul in his interaction with media was not very sure if India would alter the winning combination despite the temptation, assistant coach Ryan Doeschate, later in the evening, hinted that the bowling line-up could be changed a bit.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)