In the final of the ICC Champions Trophy, India secured the title for the third time by defeating New Zealand by 4 wickets. The match, held at Dubai Cricket Stadium, saw New Zealand set a target of 251 runs after scoring 251/7 in the allotted 50 overs, with Daryl Mitchell contributing 63 runs and Michael Bracewell adding 53.
India successfully chased the target with six balls to spare, losing six wickets. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer played responsible innings, while Ravindra Jadeja sealed the victory with a winning shot on the last ball of the 49th over.
New Zealand’s captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to bat first. The team faced its first setback at 57 runs when Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Will Young. Shortly after, at 69 runs, opener Rachin Ravindra fell to spinner Kuldeep Yadav, followed by captain Kane Williamson, who was dismissed at a total of 75.
The Kiwis suffered their fourth loss when Tom Latham was sent back by Ravindra Jadeja. Their fifth wicket fell at 165 runs, with Glenn Phillips scoring 34 before being dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy.
Daryl Mitchell, after scoring 63, was dismissed by Mohammed Shami at 211 runs, marking New Zealand’s sixth wicket. The seventh wicket fell at 239 runs when captain Mitchell Santner was run out after scoring 8.
Before the match, Mitchell Santner confirmed that bowler Matt Henry was unavailable due to injury and was replaced by Nathan Smith. He also acknowledged the presence of a large number of Indian fans in the stadium and commented that the pitch was similar to the one in their previous match against India.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma praised New Zealand as a strong team and emphasized that batting second made no difference, as they had already played in both situations before. He advised his team to focus on their game rather than the toss.
Sharma further highlighted that New Zealand has consistently performed well in ICC tournaments, making it a challenging opponent. He confirmed that India made no changes to their squad for the final.
Notably, India and New Zealand faced each other in a Champions Trophy final after 25 years. In the 2000 edition held in Nairobi, New Zealand defeated India by 4 wickets, thanks to Chris Cairns’s brilliant century.
This was India’s fifth Champions Trophy final appearance, while New Zealand played their third. Both teams had previously met twice in the tournament’s history, with each securing one victory.
