India will be up against New Zealand in Group A’s final first-round game in Dubai on Sunday, March 2. There have been three washouts already in the ongoing Champions Trophy albeit all of them in Pakistan while Dubai has comparatively been dry.
It might be a dead rubber by the time it has actually arrived, the top-of-the-table clash between India and New Zealand in Group A in the ongoing Champions Trophy but either team would want to continue their winning momentum going into the semi-finals. India haven’t played for a week and a couple of players are doubtful including the skipper Rohit Sharma and the Sunday match actually could be a dress rehearsal for India while also testing their bench strength before the knockouts.
For New Zealand, they got a few days to adjust to the playing conditions in Dubai after having won a couple of games in Pakistan. As it was visible in the first two games, it will be slow in the daytime with the spinners coming into the game pretty early on with the sun baking down before it gets better to bat under lights.
As per Accuweather, the temperatures will hover from a maximum of 26 degrees to a minimum of 18 degrees in Dubai on Sunday, March 2. It will get a bit warm in the afternoon but will cool down as the sun starts to set. There is absolutely zero per cent chance of rain throughout the day. The sunshine may be hazy at the start of the day but not too bad as the clouds are at a minimum and the sun will be out in its glory as the day moves along.
It has been quite a wet weather in Northern Pakistan with two games in Rawalpindi and the third in Lahore being washed out. It also rained in Dubai in the build-up to the Champions Trophy a couple of weeks ago. The Middle-east city is pleasant in the early part of the year but since then there has been no rain and a full game is expected in Dubai on Sunday. South Africa and Australia will be on tenterhooks waiting for the Sunday encounter to finish to know their semi-final opponents and hence, the venue.
