INDIA WINS CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2025; beat New Zealand by 4 wickets

India secured their third ICC Champions Trophy title with a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. This win made India the most successful team in the tournament’s history, surpassing Australia’s two titles. Captain Rohit Sharma played a crucial knock of 76 runs off 83 balls, guiding the team in a tense chase of 252 runs. With this victory, India ended a 12-year wait for the Champions Trophy, having last won the title in 2013.

Batting first after winning the toss, New Zealand faced early setbacks as Will Young and Kane Williamson departed cheaply. Rachin Ravindra provided some momentum with a 37-run knock before being dismissed. Daryl Mitchell anchored the innings with a crucial 63-run contribution, while Glenn Phillips added 34. Michael Bracewell played a vital role in the lower order, remaining unbeaten on 53 off 40 balls. New Zealand finished at 251/7 in 50 overs. India's bowlers delivered disciplined performances, with Varun Chakravarthy (2/45) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) leading the attack, while Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami claimed one wicket each.

India’s chase started aggressively, with Rohit Sharma reaching his half-century in just 41 balls. However, India lost Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli early. Despite Rohit’s dismissal for 76, Shreyas Iyer (48) and Axar Patel (29) stitched together a crucial 61-run partnership. Following their departure, KL Rahul (34*) and Hardik Pandya (18) steadied the innings before Ravindra Jadeja sealed the victory with the winning runs in the 49th over.

This triumph marked India’s seventh ICC title, adding to their ODI World Cup wins in 1983 and 2011, their T20 World Cup titles in 2007 and 2024, and their Champions Trophy victories in 2002 and 2013. Rohit Sharma became only the second Indian captain, after MS Dhoni, to win multiple ICC trophies. The victory also extended India's dominant run in ICC white-ball events, having lost just one out of 23 matches since the start of the 2023 ODI World Cup.

New Zealand, despite disciplined bowling efforts, fell short in defending the target. Their captain Mitchell Santner’s decision to bat first did not yield the desired results as India’s spinners controlled the middle overs. Bracewell and Mitchell’s knocks helped New Zealand reach a competitive total, but the bowlers could not capitalize on early breakthroughs. The final marked India's second major ICC trophy win within a year, following their T20 World Cup triumph in 2024.