By CHETAN NARULA Associated Press – Nearly 25 years ago, Chris Cairns’ well-timed century in Nairobi powered New Zealand past India to win the ICC Knock Out Trophy, which later was renamed the Champions Trophy.

It remains the only limited-overs ICC trophy in New Zealand’s cabinet. The Black Caps did add another in 2021 — beating India in the World Test Championship final at Southampton. In between, the Men in Blue were stopped in their tracks at the semifinal stage of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, losing a two-day rain-affected semifinal to New Zealand at Manchester.

There have been a handful of other vital clashes between the two sides — in 2021, New Zealand knocked India out of the T20 World Cup. In 2023, India returned the favor — beating New Zealand in the semifinal at Mumbai, denying them a third straight final appearance in the Cricket World Cup.

India last won the Champions Trophy in 2013 — star players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were part of that winning group. Could it be a potential final ODI outing for the stars, if they manage to overturn the 2023 disappointment of losing to Australia in the final?

“There is no talk about retirement in the dressing room, now,” vice-captain Shubman Gill said. “Last time we could not win the 2023 World Cup. We are determined to win this time.”