India defeated New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, March 9 2025, by four wickets. With this, India ended its 12-year drought in ICC ODI tournaments since its last victory in 2013 under the then Captain MS Dhoni.
India had to chase the score of 252 to claim the victory, which was helped by an outstanding partnership by the opening batsmen Captain Rohit Sharma who scored 76, and Shubman Gill who score 31. The partnership ranks among the highest opening partnerships in the history of ICC finals.
Captain Rohit Sharma’s leadership played a significant role in this victory, as he made bold tactical decisions, including selecting four spinners in the playing and positioning KL Rahul as a finisher at number 6. Furthermore, his composed batting under pressure set a solid foundation for India’s chase.
India’s Bowling and Fielding
The Indian spin attack was what changed the game in India’s favour by restricting New Zealand’s scoring rate. Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav claimed two wickets each while Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja managed to get one wicket each. Yadav delivered crucial breakthroughs by dismissing Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson in quick succession. Varun Chakaravarthy’s mystery spin troubled the Kiwi batsmen consistently. And Ravindra Jadeja maintained tight control with economical bowling figures of 1/30 from his full quota of 10 overs.
Despite the impressive bowling performance, India’s fielding was uncharacteristically poor in the final, with as many as five dropped catches. Mohammed Shami and Shreyas Iyer dropped Rachin Ravindra twice early in his innings. Shubman Gill also missed a straightforward chance off Glenn Phillips in the 36th over. Additionally, Kuldeep Yadav missed an easy run-out opportunity due to poor positioning near the stumps.
New Zealand had won the toss and chosen to bat first. Kiwis scored 251, with Daryl Mitchell as the top scorer with 63 runs. Michael Bracewell scored an unbeaten half century which helped the Kiwis set a score past 250-run mark. Courtesy of India’s talented spinners, NZ was under a lot of pressure in the middle overs with choked run-flow. However, the late surge of Bracewell helped Kiwis score 79 runs in the last 10 overs alone.
India’s Chasing
While chasing, except the opening partnership, India kept losing wickets at regular intervals. There was a tense period for the blue team when they lost Gill, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma in quick succession. The match was secured as a result of a critical 61-run partnership between Shreyas Iyer (48) and Axar Patel (34).
KL Rahul also played a critical role in stabilising India’s innings, scoring an unbeaten 34 off 33 balls. His calm presence under immense pressure ensured India stayed on course. Rahul’s composed finishing act complemented Shreyas Iyer’s aggressive yet calculated approach, with Iyer contributing a valuable 48 runs.
Finally, India’s long batting line-up with a batsman of Jadeja’s calibre at number 8 saw India through and claim their third ICC Champions Trophy after their victories in 2002 and 2013.
