ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Final, IND vs NZ: Rohit Sharma's 76, KL Rahul's 34 and Spinners help India clinch the Champions Trophy for the third time.
Brief Scores: NZ vs IND, Final, CT 2025: India 254/6 ( Rohit Sharma 73, Shreyas Iyer 48, Michael Bracewell 2/28) beat New Zealand 251/7 (Daryl Mitchell 63, Michael Bracewell 53*, Kuldeep Yadav 2/40) by four wickets.
Two of the most consistent sides in recent ICC tournaments, India and New Zealand, faced off in yet another high-stakes ICC knockout match—this time, in the final of the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai.
India secured another tense, low-scoring victory, winning by four wickets, thanks to a captain’s knock from Rohit Sharma after the spinners restricted New Zealand to a competitive 251. With this triumph, India became three-time ICC Champions Trophy winners, making them the most successful team in the tournament’s history.
Talking Point - India’s batting depth make them invincible
India won yet another ODI match, thanks to their batting depth. After a strong start, the Men in Blue found themselves in a spot of trouble at 122/3 in 26 overs. Needing 130 more runs at just over a run-a-ball on a slow and tricky surface, the pressure was mounting, especially with the high stakes of a final.
However India’s middle order rose to the occasion for one last time in the tournament. Axar Patel stitched a match-turning 61-run stand with Shreyas Iyer, while KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya firmly put the game in India’s hands with a crucial 38-run partnership off 36 balls for the sixth wicket. Read More: CT 2025, IND vs NZ, Group A: Varun-led spin quartet bamboozles NZ; India to face Australia in SF
India’s spin quartet keep Kiwis down to 251
Rohit Sharma’s men lost their 15th consecutive toss in ODIs, and New Zealand opted to bat first in this crucial match. Their in-form opener, Rachin Ravindra, capitalised on the powerplay fielding restrictions as New Zealand raced to 50 in just seven overs. By the end of 10 overs, they had reached 69/1, with Will Young being the only batter dismissed.
The introduction of spin put a stranglehold on New Zealand’s innings as they lost both Ravindra and Kane Williamson in quick succession. Tom Latham and Daryl Mitchell attempted to rebuild with a 33-run stand for the fourth wicket, but it took them 66 balls. Their biggest partnership of the innings—57 runs between Mitchell and Glenn Phillips—took another 87 deliveries, as New Zealand managed only 103 runs in the middle overs (11-40).
Despite a solid finish from Michael Bracewell (53* off 40 balls), New Zealand could only post 251 on what appeared to be a typical slow-paced Dubai wicket. Read More: CT 2025, SF 2, NZ vs SA: Ravindra, Williamson tons, Santner's 3-43 help NZ book slot in Finals
Rohit’s early fireworks set the tone for India’s chase
Much like their opponents, India’s openers—particularly Rohit Sharma—set the tone early. Rohit was the aggressor, helping India reach 64/0 in the first 10 overs, with 49 of those runs coming off his bat. He and Shubman Gill put together their first 100-run stand of the tournament in just 17 overs, putting India in cruise control.
However, a moment of brilliance in the field by Glenn Phillips to dismiss Gill brought New Zealand back into the contest, and India soon lost both Virat Kohli and Rohit in quick succession. As a result, India managed just 28 runs between the 21st and 30th over, needing 115 more in the last 20 overs with seven wickets in hand.
Runs began to flow off the bats of Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer, but against the run of play, Iyer fell for 48. Bracewell capped off his brilliant spell (2/28 from 10 overs) by dismissing Axar in his final over, leaving India needing 49 from the last eight overs. Cameos from KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja propelled India to a four-wicket victory with an over to spare.
Statistical Highlights from New Zealand vs India, CT Final 2025
NZ scored 69-1 in the first powerplay (overs 1-10). This is the joint third-highest score in PP1 in CT 2025.
Rachin Ravindra was dismissed for the first time by Kuldeep Yadav in ODIs. He has scored 18 runs off 17 balls against Yadav in this format.
Kane Williamson was dismissed for the third time by Kuldeep Yadav in ODIs.
The opening partnership of 57 runs between Will Young & Rachin Ravindra is only the second fifty-plus opening stand for NZ in a knockout game of ICC ODI events.
Tom Latham was dismissed for the third time in ODIs by Ravindra Jadeja.
Ravindra Jadeja bowled the second-most economical 10-over spell for India in an ICC ODI tournament final (leaving out 1983 WC Final where max overs allowed were 12).
Daryl Mitchell's 63(101), at a SR of 62.37, is the fourth-slowest fifty-plus score by a Kiwi batter in an ICC ODI tournament knockout game.
Michael Bracewell's 40-ball 53* (SR of 132.50) is the fifth-fastest fifty-plus score by a batter in an ICC ODI tournament final.
Shami's figures read 9-0-74-1. He went at an ER of 8.22 which is the fourth-most expensive spell (min 9 overs) in an ICC ODI tournament final.
Rohit Sharma has hit 68 sixes in overs 1-10 in ODIs since 2022. That's the most for any batter in the given period.
The opening stand of 105 runs between Rohit Sharma & Shubman Gill is the highest for this wicket in CT 2025.
Read More: CT 2025, SF 1, IND vs AUS: Pandya's late cameo, Rahul's quickfire 42* take India into final
What’s Next
India secured their seventh ICC title, putting curtains on an unbeaten campaign. The spotlight now shifts to the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will kick off their title defense against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Kolkata on March 22.
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