KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja after India's Win (Source: AP Photos)
Courtesy of skipper Rohit's magnificent 76 and a tight bowling from India's spin quartet, India defeated New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Chasing 252 for victory, India finished the game with six deliveries and four wickets to spare to lift their third Champions Trophy title.
Here’s the timeline of how IND vs NZ Champions Trophy 2025 Final panned out in Dubai:
Kiwis Start Brilliantly But Indian Spinners Enforce Stranglehold
After again losing the toss, Rohit Sharma’s Indian side were asked to bowl first against New Zealand in the final of the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025. The Kiwi openers, Will Young and Rachin Ravindra, started positively in the powerplay, finding gaps and boundaries while rotating strikes against the bowlers. Young was the first to depart in the 8th over when Varun Chakravarthy trapped him in front, sending him packing for 15.
Soon after Young left, Rachin followed suit on the first delivery of the 11th over when Kuldeep knocked him over with a brilliant delivery for 37. Rachin, in his knock, found four boundaries and a six to help the Kiwis score 69 in the powerplay. However, the BlackCaps received a major blow when their star batter Kane Williamson was caught by Kuldeep off his own bowling in the 13th over, leaving the Kiwi side stranded on 75 with three down and Williamson back in the hut for 11.
With wickets falling in clusters, New Zealand were looking to rebuild their side and they did beautifully courtesy of Daryl Mitchell, who spent some time in the middle, rotating strikes and finding useful boundaries.
On the other hand, Tom Latham came in and left after being trapped by Jadeja with an LBW for 14, while batter Glenn Phillips played a strong cameo of 34 runs from 52 deliveries before he was knocked over by Chakravarthy in the 38th over. The spinners maintained the upper hand in the game by reducing the run rate and picking wickets at regular intervals, enforcing the Kiwi batters to change their game plan.
Mitchell's 63, Bracewell's 53 Power NZ To 251 After Final Overs Push
Mitchell needed some support from the other end, which was provided by their lower-order batter, Michael Bracewell, who came in to bat at the 7th position and played a valuable 53-run knock off 40 deliveries, remaining unbeaten till the end.
Mitchell, who scored 63 off 101 deliveries, was sent back by Shami in the 46th over after getting caught by skipper Rohit Sharma, as by then New Zealand were 211 for six down in 45.4 overs.
What followed was a hard-core push by the Kiwis in the final overs as they found boundaries at ease with runs coming easily unlike the middle of their innings. Bracewell, with three fours and two sixes, while Phillips, with two fours and one six, powered New Zealand to 251 for seven by the end of their 50 overs.
Indian pacer Shami went for 74 runs in his nine-over spell while picking a lone wicket. On the other hand, spinners Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, were excellent with two wickets apiece, while Jadeja was magnificent with a spell of one for 30 in his 10 overs.
Rohit Goes Berserk In The Powerplay Before India Lose Three In Quick Succession
The Indian side, looking to chase 252 to lift the Champions Trophy for the third time, started out with their openers, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, who were excellent, especially in the powerplay. Rohit Sharma went big on the second delivery he faced in the innings and smashed Kyle Jamieson for a massive six to start India’s pursuit.
There was no stopping Rohit, who was looking to score runs at a positive rate as he took India to 64 runs after the completion of the first powerplay without losing a single wicket. The Kiwi bowlers were under immense pressure by then as Indians were continuing their aggressive approach. Shubman Gill was supporting Rohit in a very positive way, keeping India ahead in the chase.
The duo scored the first 50-run partnership in 44 deliveries and achieved the hundred-run mark in 17 overs as India were comfortably moving towards victory. On the way, skipper Rohit achieved his landmark half-century off 41 deliveries to help India massively.
However, things started to take an ugly turn when Shubman Gill was caught unbelievably well by Glenn Phillips, who flew in the air and took a blinder which is very common from him. Skipper Santner was the man who got the breakthrough as Gill was sent back for 31.
Soon after Gill departed, incoming batter Virat Kohli was trapped in front by Bracewell off a brilliant delivery that came in as Kohli could not get his bat in the line and was given LBW. He challenged the decision only to be denied later.
Rohit continued his aggressive approach after Kohli’s departure but not for long, as he was too aggressive in his pursuit. He ran down the crease to Rachin Ravindra, missing the ball completely, only to be stumped by Tom Latham for 76 on the first delivery of the 27th over with India’s score being 122 for three down.
Positive Batting Helps India Lift Third Champions Trophy Title
Pressure was on the Indian side with three quick wickets down in a hurry. They were looking to rebuild their innings, and in came dependable Shreyas Iyer and left-handed Axar Patel, who have plenty of experience batting in these conditions. Iyer played a outstanding 48-run knock off 62 deliveries, while Patel was decent with 29 from 40 deliveries.
India were going ahead in the chase with important runs from these two coming in the middle. The duo batted 75 deliveries for a 61-run partnership for the fourth wicket, as they took India's score to 183 when Iyer departed in the 39th over. Patel continued to bat alongside Rahul, who was also magnificent during the chase.
Axar was sent back by Bracewell in the 42nd over when India's score was 203 with five down, while Iyer was dismissed by skipper Santner. After Patel's departure, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya came onto the crease and played a solid 18-ball 18-run knock with a six and a four to his name.
However, as he took India's score to 241 with the help of Rahul, who was cautious in his chase, Pandya was dismissed in the 48th over by Kyle Jamieson, who caught him off his own bowling, while Rahul continued to bat.
With just 12 runs required for victory, India lost Pandya but were still miles ahead in the chase with 2.3 overs remaining. Rahul, who was confident in his approach, played a 33-ball 34-run knock and remained unbeaten till the end, while Ravindra Jadeja, who came in to bat after Pandya's departure, gave the final blow to take India to victory with six deliveries and four wickets to spare.
With 7 needed of 12 deliveries, India finished the game in the 49th over courtesy of Jadeja's four on the last delivery of the 49th over, taking Men in Blue to another ICC title.
From the bowling lineup, Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell picked two wickets apiece, while the rest of the bowlers couldn't really make any difference. India's defining victory was set up by skipper Rohit's magnificent intent at the top, while Iyer and Rahul's calm innings in the end helped India lift their third Champions Trophy title.
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.jpg?type=mq?im=Resize=(250, 250) "Arnav Chopra")
