Many consider Team India massive favourites going into the ICC Champions Trophy. They have been quite flawless basically in all the departments. Batting has done well in both setting up and chasing totals. The bowling unit has fired in all cylinders while the fielding hasn’t also drawn massively criticism. But the New Zealand outfit isn’t there for a walkover. While many predict the “Mitchell Santner factor” to be troublesome for India, we expect Matt Henry to give the Indian batters a run for their money.
Rohit Sharma’s declining returns a feast for Matt Henry
There’s no denying that Rohit Sharma’s selfless brand of cricket has aided Team India big time. He likes to possess his dominance from ball one, a strategy that allows the likes of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli to bide their time in the middle. But Rohit’s returns have diminished massively. Rohit, who was averaging 52.29 in 2023, has been scoring just 32.28 runs per game in ODIs this year. In the ongoing Champions Trophy, he has mustered 104 runs at an average of 26.00. Notably, Rohit has not remained not out post powerplay overs. The maximum overs Rohit has played this tournament is 9.5 when he made 41 against Bangladesh.
Rohit Sharma vs Matt Henry in ODIs
| Year | Runs | Balls | Outs | Dots | 4s | 6s | SR | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 100.0 | – |
| 2019 | 5 | 20 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 25.0 | 2.5 |
| 2023 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 200.0 | – |
| 2025 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 162.5 | – |
| Total | 59 | 59 | 2 | 39 | 6 | 4 | 100.0 | 29.5 |
What Matt Henry provides is an excellent art of seam bowling. His wrist position is by far the best among current New Zealand setup. Running from a bit wide of the crease, Henry would look to bowl inswingers to trouble not just Rohit but Shubman Gill also. Gill has had his troubles against incoming deliveries and it was Henry who got him plumbed in front of the stumps. Both Rohit and Gill failed the only time India faced New Zealand in the league stage of the Champions Trophy.
Matt Henry stats at ICC Champions Trophy
| Inns | Balls | Overs | Mdns | Wkts | BBI | Ave | Econ | SR | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 188 | 31.2 | 1 | 10 | 5/42 | 16.70 | 5.32 | 18.80 | 0 | 1 |
