India made it back-to-back global cricket tournaments with a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final at Dubai International Ground. Chasing 252 runs, the Men in Blue had a blistering start with the bat, as captain Rohit Sharma led by example, smacking 76 runs.
He released the pressure that was put on the Indian team, especially after Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli departed early.
Rohit managed to keep the scoreboard ticking and that put the pressure on the Kiwis.
After the captain departed, the onus fell on Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel. By that time, the New Zealand spinners started dominating and that kept the Indian batters in check.
They struggled to rotate the strike for quite some time but the occasional boundaries helped the team stay in the right momentum. Meanwhile, Iyer, who looked settled at one point, departed for 48 runs and Axar soon followed suit, having made 29.
After they went back to the pavilion, KL Rahul wreaked havoc, scoring an unbeaten 34 runs to help India win the match with only six balls remaining.
President Droupadi Murmu posted on X and said, “Heartiest congratulations to Team India for winning the ICC Champions Trophy, 2025. India became the only team to win the Trophy thrice. The players, the management and the support staff deserve highest accolades for creating cricketing history. I wish Indian cricket a very bright future.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the Indian cricket team for winning the ICC Champions Trophy and said they have played wonderfully through the tournament. PM Modi posted on X and said, “An exceptional game and an exceptional result! Proud of our cricket team for bringing home the ICC Champions Trophy. They’ve played wonderfully through the tournament. Congratulations to our team for the splendid all around display.”
After the win, Virat noted that there was immense talent in the dressing room and added that some or the other cricketer always stepped up to help the team win the game in any situation. He also mentioned that he was happy to share the experience with the youngsters and added that it’s what makes the Indian team extremely strong.
Bowling first after Rohit lost his 12th straight toss, India’s spinners restricted New Zealand to 251 for seven in the allotted 50 overs, with Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) and Varun Chakaravarthy (2/45) making significant contributions with the ball.
India completed the chase of 252 with six balls to spare after Rohit (76 off 83 balls) and Shreyas Iyer (48 off 62 balls) shone with the bat. India countered the ghost of 2023 to win the Champions Trophy 2025, beating New Zealand by four wickets in the final.
Billions of hearts were shattered after a crushing defeat to Australia in the ODI World Cup 2023 final and that was reminded several times before India played the marquee clash at Dubai International Stadium.
Interestingly, after the win, senior batters Rohit and Virat were spotted playing Dandiya on the wicket. Under their leadership, India suffered several heartbreaks in the last decade but in 2024, they won the T20 World Cup together and managed to keep up with the spirit to get the job done in the Champions Trophy as well.
After the win, Virat noted that there was immense talent in the dressing room and added that some or the other cricketer always stepped up to help the team win the game in any situation.
