Dubai, March 9, 2025 – India pulled off a nail-biter against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final, scraping home by four wickets at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. This gritty win gave India their third title in the tournament’s history, adding to their haul from 2002 and 2013. It’s been 12 long years since their last ICC ODI triumph in 2013 under MS Dhoni, and this victory—right after their T20 World Cup win in 2024—feels like a roaring comeback.
Chasing 252, India got off to a flyer with captain Rohit Sharma swinging from the hip. He cracked 76 off 83 balls—his first fifty of the tournament—and kicked things off by smashing a six off the second delivery. Alongside Shubman Gill, who made a steady 31, Rohit put on 105 for the first wicket. But New Zealand weren’t going down easy. Their spinners, Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell, turned the screws. Glenn Phillips pulled off a screamer of a catch to get rid of Gill, and Bracewell snagged Virat Kohli lbw for a measly 1, leaving India sweating.
Enter KL Rahul, who held his nerve with an unbeaten 34. “I was terrified inside,” he admitted later, “but you’ve got to fake it till you make it, and I’m thrilled it worked.” Ravindra Jadeja, cool as ever with 8 not out, cracked the winning boundary, wrapping it up with an over to go. Hardik Pandya’s quick 18 deserve a shoutout too—he kept the panic at bay.
New Zealand had earlier won the toss and opted to bat, scratching their way to 251/7 in 50 overs. Will Young (26) and Rachin Ravindra (18) got them rolling with a 57-run opening stand, but India’s spinners soon put the brakes on. Varun Chakaravarthy (2/45) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) ran through the middle, dropping the Kiwis to 165/5 by the 38th. Daryl Mitchell dug in for a hard-fought 63 off 101, while Bracewell blasted an unbeaten 53 off 40—smacking boundaries and sixes late—to give them something to defend.
India’s spin attack was the real hero, though. Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep, Jadeja, and Axar Patel bowled 38 overs between them, leaking just 144 runs and strangling New Zealand’s scoring. “The spinners were unreal,” Rohit said later. “They sized up the pitch and bossed it.”
Mitchell Santner, New Zealand’s captain, gave credit where it was due. “India showed up today—we didn’t,” he said. “Their spinners are a cut above, and we were maybe 20-25 runs light.” Still, Rachin Ravindra walked away as Player of the Tournament, piling up 263 runs with two centuries in four matches.
Back in India, the party was on. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hopped on X, posting, “What a match! Huge props to our team for grabbing the Champions Trophy!” Rohit, who scooped Player of the Match, laughed off retirement chatter. “I’m not hanging up the boots yet,” he said. “Long as my head’s in the game, I’m in.”
This third Champions Trophy win makes India the tournament’s undisputed kings—no one else has done it more. New Zealand’s still chasing that ODI glory, their last ICC moment the 2021 World Test Championship. As India’s players whooped it up on the field, lifting the trophy high, Dubai’s sky erupted in fireworks—a perfect end to a campaign where they didn’t drop a single game.
