New Zealand seemed to be doing well at the start, but India’s spin attack had the last word: Having won a crucial toss on a sluggish surface in Dubai, New Zealand made full use of the early conditions with a brisk 69 for 1 in the powerplay. Rachin Ravindra swung to the lead with an excellent 37 off just 29 balls. But slowly as the innings progressed, India’s top-class spin attack made certain there was no way out.
On a pitch where there was the least turn of the tournament, India’s four-pronged spin attack bowled 38 overs and conceded just 144 runs for five wickets. Kuldeep Yadav shone bright, giving two crucial breakthroughs in the form of Ravindra and Kane Williamson. Ravindra fell first ball to a wrong’un, while Williamson was deceived by drift and dip and took a return catch. Meanwhile, the metronomic accuracy of Ravindra Jadeja (10-0-30-1) further choked the scoring. There, late fireworks by Michael Bracewell, who went for 53 off 40 balls, came in, and with the grit of Daryl Mitchell, who made a fifty, took New Zealand to a credible total.
India’s reply began with the same approach as New Zealand’s start; Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill added a quick hundred and five runs for the first wicket. Rohit scored 76, combined with Gill’s aggressive stroke play, which gave great control to the chase from a very early time. However, then came a series of breakthroughs that turned these tides. Glenn Phillips pulled off a stunning leaping catch to dismiss Gill, while Bracewell getting Virat Kohli run out on the first ball swung the game back in New Zealand’s favor. Rohit’s aggression stayed intact but more will go in.
Finally, he was stumped after missing an attempted big hit against Ravindra. With 122 for the loss of 3 wickets, India still has work to do. A great partnership of 61 runs between Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel somewhat steadied the innings, of which Iyer had two dropped chances to thank for. While amidst a period where wickets fell, there was proof of batting depth. KL Rahul and Jadeja steered India home with an over to spare for a fitting finish: they’d won it by four wickets. Against this, the final gave the thrilling contest this ICC event had sorely missed.
While India’s more potent spin attack and balanced batting array gave them a slight edge, the Black Caps fought hard, pushing the game into the final overs. The toss did help make it a tighter affair, but eventually, India’s well-balanced machinery proved too strong. With this victory, India continues its dominance in world cricket, now with two of the four ICC trophies and as runners-up in the other two. Their spectacular and continuous performances in ICC tournaments put them squarely on top of the teams fighting for the World Cup.
Ind vs NZ ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Final Scorecard
New Zealand Innings
Daryl Mitchel – 63 (101)
Micheall Bracewell – 54* (40)
Rachin Ravindra – 37 (29)
Kuldeep Yadav – 2/40 (10 overs)
Varun Chakravarthy – 2/45 (10 overs)
Ravindra Jadeja – 1/30 (10 overs)
India Innings
Rohit Sharma – 76 (83)
Shreyas Iyer – 48 (62)
KL Rahul – 34* (33)
Micheal Bracewell – 2/28 (10 overs)
Mitchel Santner – 2/46 (10 overs)
Kyle Jamieson – 1/25 (5 overs)
