IND vs NZ: In the nail-biter final of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 of IND vs NZ, the unbeatable team India claimed the title by 4 wickets at the Dubai International Stadium on 9th March. New Zealand decided to bat first after looking at the dry pitch condition but could not withstand the spinning attack of India. With the help of Daryl Mithcell and Bracewell’s half-century kiwis managed to put a total of 251 runs.
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill started the chase with an aggressive approach and smashed the pacers all over the ground. Rohit Sharma was awarded the player of the match in the IND vs NZ final for his fiery knock of 76 runs off 83 balls. He completed 2500 runs as a captain in this match and claimed his 2nd ICC title victory after the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados.
Rachin Ravindra was awarded the player of the tournament for his excellent performance by bat and ball throughout the tournament. He ended up being the top run scorer of the tournament with 263 runs.
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.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 9, 2025
New Zealand’s trouble against spin
In the India vs New Zealand 2025 ICC Champions Trophy match, the Black Caps won the toss and decided to bat first, a move that ultimately benefited India. The Indian spinners, spearheaded by Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, devastated New Zealand’s batting order, leaving them on the back foot right from the start of the match.
Although India’s beginnings were shaky to some extent, especially with lost opportunities—Mohammad Shami missing a catch in the 7th over and Shreyas Iyer missing a hard chance in the 8th—India gradually settled. Spinners Yadav and Chakravarthy asserted their supremacy, consistently taking tolls. Chakravarthy came on early to bowl the 6th over and caused instantaneous damage by eliminating Will Young for a mere 15 runs through LBW in the 8th over.
Daryl Mitchell’s half-century
Despite the pressure, New Zealand was able to create some promising partnerships. Daryl Mitchell scored a solid knock, top-scoring with 63 runs and stabilizing the innings, although wickets kept falling at regular intervals.
Rachin Ravindra, who had been dropped twice previously, was bowled by Kuldeep Yadav in his first over for 37. The spin duo continued to rule, with Yadav dismissing Kane Williamson for a mere 11 runs and Chakravarthy dispatching Tom Latham back to the pavilion for a paltry 14.
The middle order kept deteriorating under stress. New Zealand’s most militant batter, Glenn Phillips, was sent back by Chakravarthy for 34 runs. The captain of the Black Caps, Mitchell Santner, then came in but was promptly run out by Virat Kohli, who made a flash throw, condemning New Zealand to collapse and placing them in an unfavorable position.
India’s superior spin bowling left the Black Caps on the back foot all day and, while there were some dogged knocks, New Zealand couldn’t cope with the pressure.
Bracewell’s savior half-century
With New Zealand’s batting innings in a dangerous situation, Michael Bracewell took up the gauntlet, producing a masterful knock to set his team on the path to recovery.
The aggressive all-rounder stayed not out at 53 runs from 40 balls, during which he struck 2 sixes and 3 fours. His big hitting was instrumental in taking New Zealand’s score to a fighting total of 251 runs, an impressive score by ODI standards.
But for all Bracewell’s heroic efforts, the actual test of New Zealand was in their failure to successfully counter India’s spinners. The pitch was hard to handle, and New Zealand’s failure to deal with the spinners was a major factor in curbing their scoring possibilities throughout the match.
India’s pursuit of Champions Trophy 2025 title chase
Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill came into the open for the chase pursuit, on the 2nd ball of the innings Rohit pulled off a six over mid-wicket to send the New Zealand bowlers on backfoot and dominated the whole powerplay with his destructive knock. Shubhman looked good too but got out at 31 runs on covers by an outstanding catch of Glenn Philips.
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In the middle overs, India stumbled a bit with an early wicket of big fish Virat Kohli by Michael Bracewell. Following that Rohit lost his wicket to Rachin with a loose ball outside off-stump and stumped at 76 runs on the board.
Later on, Shreyas built a good partnership with Axar Patel but got a soft dismissal with an aerial shot over the fine leg and soon Axar also got trapped into Bracwell’s flighted delivery.
Hardik Pandya came in in the need of an hour and smashed boundaries and maximums all over the stadium which decreased the pressure on India’s side. Although he got out on a bouncer by Kylie Jamieson Jadeja kept it simple and subtle alongside Kl Rahul and got a well-deserved win with an unbeaten streak on their side.
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