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NZ vs IND Highlights: Chakravarthy's Fifer Stuns New Zealand As India Finish Group Stage With Perfect Three

Arnav Chopra

Varun Chakravarthy after Williamson's wicket (Source: AP Photos)Varun Chakravarthy after Williamson's wicket (Source: AP Photos)

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Rohit Sharma’s Indian side marched on with the third consecutive victory in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025 against New Zealand as they won comfortably by a margin of 44 runs. Batting first, India put up 249 on the board, whereas in reply, they bowled New Zealand out for 205 courtesy of Varun Chakravarthy’s five-wicket haul.

Here’s the timeline of how NZ vs IND panned out in Dubai:

Iyer, Axar Resurrect Innings After Kiwi Pacers Vanish India's Top-Order In The Powerplay

It all started in a hurry for the Indian side, who lost their first three wickets in no time inside the powerplay as Kiwi pacers reminded them of the 2019 World Cup semifinal. New Zealand won the toss and put India into bat, as they started off cautiously with 15-odd runs on the board for the loss of no wickets.

However, soon after, Shubman Gill was trapped in front of stumps by the consistent Matt Henry, whereas skipper Rohit Sharma was dismissed on the first ball of the sixth over by Kyle Jamieson as he attempted a pull.

In the very next over, veteran Virat Kohli perished against Henry as he went for a fierce cut, which was caught unbelievably well by fielder Glenn Phillips at backward point with an acrobatic fielding effort to pull off a stunner, leaving fans in the stadium in tears.

Kohli was dismissed for 11 as India were reduced to 34/3 in 6.4 overs. They were in deep trouble and in need of a desperate partnership, which was provided by Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel. For the fourth wicket, the duo batted 136 deliveries and managed to put up 98 runs on the board.

Iyer's 79, Pandya's 45 Push India To 249 After Henry's Fifer

However, Axar was dismissed in the 30th over with 128 on the board. Both Shreyas Iyer and Axar batted extremely carefully given the condition, as this situation demanded them to play carefully with three wickets already down. They went about their business successfully, as Axar was able to score a decent 42.

After Axar's dismissal, Iyer batted brilliantly to reach his half-century off 75 deliveries as India went on to score 150 in 33.2 overs. Iyer was the next one to depart for a well-made 79 with four boundaries and two sixes, while Rahul, who scored 23, had to walk back in the 40th over was dismissed by opposition skipper Mitchell Santner as he was caught by keeper Tom Latham where India were reduced to 182/6.

Crossing 182, India needed some big hits, and the responsibility rested on the shoulders of experienced all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who walked onto the crease with much hope. Pandya provided some finishing blows as he went on to score 45 off 45 with four boundaries and two sixes, while Jadeja had 16 runs after his name.

Pandya was dismissed on the third delivery of the final over, taking India's score to 246/8, while they ended their innings on 249/9 when Shami was dismissed by Henry on the final delivery to pick his five-wicket haul.

Williamson Stands Tall Alone As BlackCaps Lose Three In First Half

Chasing an exact score of 250 for victory, the New Zealand openers, Will Young and Rachin Ravindra, walked down to the crease as the latter was dismissed in the fourth over by Pandya for six, courtesy of a brilliant catch by Axar Patel.

After the first wicket, New Zealand's dependable Kane Williamson came to the crease and, with the support of Will Young, batted decently for the second wicket to score a 42-run partnership when Varun Chakravarthy sent Young back with a brilliant delivery.

New Zealand were then reduced to 2/49, requiring an exact 201 runs more for victory. Incoming batter Daryl Mitchell spent some time on the crease alongside Kane Williamson as he was sent packing for 17. Williamson played a crucial hand with a magnificent 50 off 77 deliveries, playing a lone hand for the Kiwis.

Chakravarthy's Five Wicket Halt New Zealand To 205 As India Win By 44 Runs

Williamson then batted with some determination to take the Kiwis over the line; however, he suffered due to batters falling one after another at the other end. Varun Chakravarthy proved to be the star of the show with a five-wicket haul, giving away just 42 runs in his 10 overs, whereas Kuldeep Yadav picked two wickets in his 9.3-over spell.

New Zealand collapsed in no time, as from 151/3, they were bowled out for just 205 on the board, while Williamson was the top scorer with 81 runs as he found seven boundaries. Mitchell Santner put in some effort with two sixes and a boundary to score 28, but his late surge couldn’t really help them finish the chase. India won the game by 44 runs, whereas the Kiwis could only survive 45.3 overs.