Unbeaten India clinch ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with thrilling win over New Zealand

India versus New Zealand Champions Trophy 2025 Final: In a nail-biting finale at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, an unbeaten India emerged victorious against New Zealand to claim their third ICC Champions Trophy 2025 title. India beat New Zealand by 4 wickets to win Champions Trophy 2025 for the third time after 2002 and 2013.

India beat Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand in their group, and then defeated Australia in the semis before beating the Kiwis again to clinch the title.

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The match saw Rohit Sharma's men in blue chase down a target of 252 runs against New Zealand. Rohit Sharma's men had gone unbeaten to clinch the T20 World Cup last year, and they have repeated the feat this year at the Champions Trophy.

In a post match interview, KL Rahul in an candid chat said, “Not sure I can say this on air but I was s****** myself. As confident as I could be that I could get over the line. Keeping composure is all that matters, happy to have done it this time".

IND vs NZ Champions Trophy Match Highlights:

Rohit Sharma's Crucial 50: Rohit Sharma registered his first-ever half-century in an ICC event final, playing a brilliant knock against New Zealand in the final of ICC Champions Trophy at Dubai. During the final while chasing 252 runs, Rohit went hard on bowlers right from ball one, scoring 76 in 83 balls, with seven fours and three sixes. He scored his runs at a strike rate of 91.56.

Virat Kohli's Disappointing Run: The disappointing run of star India batter Virat Kohli in ICC ODI finals continued as he just managed a run during the ICC Champions Trophy final against New Zealand at Dubai on Sunday. Now, in five ICC ODI finals, Virat has scored 138 runs in five matches at an average of 27.60, with the best score of 54.

Rohit, Gill recreate Ganguly, Tendulkar's 2000 heroics: Rohit Sharma and his deputy Shubman Gill evoked a feeling of nostalgia by recreating the heroics of former batting maestros Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, becoming just the third pair to score a 100-plus opening stand in the final of the Champions Trophy.

Middle-Order Resilience: Despite losing wickets, India's middle order, including Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, kept the momentum going. Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel stitched a partnership for India, with Iyer finding some timely boundaries and taking India to the 150-run mark in 32.5 overs.

Axar Patel and KL Rahul Helped Cross 200: KL Rahul and Axar helped India cross the 200-run mark in 40.5 overs. However, India's run-chase encountered another obstacle, with Axar throwing away his wicket for 29 (in 40 balls, with a four and six) to Bracewell with a fine catch by William O'Rourke. India was 203/5 in 41.3 overs.

Hardik Pandya's Finishing Touches: Hardik Pandya and KL brought back India into the equation with some fine strike rotation and odd boundaries, leaving India with 32 runs in 30 balls. Hardik(18) holed it back to Kyle Jamieson while trying to pull it away. Ravindra Jadeja stuck the winning boundary to seal a memorable win for India.

India's Unbeaten Run Continues: This victory marks India's sixth consecutive win in the tournament, solidifying their dominance in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Reactions and Celebrations: The Indian team erupted in joy as they lifted the trophy, celebrating a well-deserved victory that will be remembered for years to come. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were seen playing ‘dandiya’ with the stumps as the Indian team celebrated.