New Zealand defended valiantly against big favourites India. But, in the end, India simply had too much quality and depth for them, as they went undefeated in their second consecutive ICC championship. They now have two of the four ICC trophies after losing the other two in the finals. In the last three ICC tournaments, India has won 22 of 23 completed matches.
India vs NZ ICC Champions Trophy Final
On a fatigued pitch, the run-scoring trend was similar to previous games. After winning a vital toss (India has lost their last 15 ODI tosses), New Zealand raced to 69 for 1 in the powerplay, but India’s high-quality spin drew them back. On a pitch with the least turn of any match in Dubai this tournament, the four Indian spinners bowled 38 overs between them, conceding only 144 runs and taking five wickets. Again, when New Zealand gained pace with the ball near the end, Michael Bracewell hit 53 off 40 to set a target for himself and his bowling companions.
India had a similarly easy start of 64 for 0 in the powerplay, but New Zealand clawed their way back despite a 105-run opening stand among Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Lacking Varun Chakravarthy’s enigma or Kuldeep Yadav’s unusual left-arm wristspin art. New Zealand took advantage of the enhanced turn – an average of 2 degrees in the first innings and 3.4 in the second – and put India to the test.
Every batsman save Virat Kohli received a start, with scores ranging from Rohit’s 76 to Hardik Pandya’s run-a-ball 18, but none of them finished the job. Their amazing depth, however, prevailed, as KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja saw them through with one over remaining and four wickets in hand. It was a final to save the tournament, which had been low on close games. India had far more firepower for the conditions than New Zealand, but the toss proved to be a bit of a leveller. Rachin Ravindra, the tournament’s leading run-getter, batted like a dream towards the new ball under ideal circumstances all day. He scored 37 off 29 in a start that startled the audience, aided by two missed opportunities.
Virat Kohli Speaks About Retirement
Virat Kohli, India’s maverick hitter, has declared that he is not going anywhere and would continue to play for his country. His statement came just minutes after Rohit Sharma and his teammates defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the Champions Trophy 2025 final. While Kohli was not specifically asked about his retirement, he did clarify his intentions for the future.
Kohli told Simon Doull after India’s win that he would leave once he believed the current players could take over and continue to win matches for the country. Before raising the topic to Virat, veteran New Zealand bowler Doull stated that he will hand over the torch to extremely capable hands if the India batter decides to quit.
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