New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner made the decision to bat after winning the toss against India in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium.
In an injury blow for New Zealand, star pacer Matt Henry was ruled out of the title match due to a shoulder injury he picked up while fielding during the semifinal against South Africa at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
India 254 for 6 (Rohit- 76, Iyer- 48, Rahul- 34, Bracewell 2/28, Santner 2/46) won over New Zealand- 251 for- 7 (Mitchell- 63, Bracewell- 53, Phillips- 34, Kuldeep 2/40, Varun 2/45) by four wickets.
New Zealand put up a spirited defense against odds-on favourites India. But India just had too much quality and depth for them, and finished their second consecutive ICC tournament unbeaten. They now possess two of the four ICC trophies, having lost in the final of the other two. In the past three ICC tournaments alone, India have won 22 of their 23 completed matches.
On a parched pitch, run-scoring also followed familiar patterns from games played so far. Having received a vital toss – India lost their previous 15 ODI tosses — New Zealand flew out to 69 for 1 in the powerplay but was pulled back by India’s high-quality spin. On a pitch that gave them least turn of all the matches in Dubai this tournament, the four Indian spinners bowled 38 overs collectively to give away only 144 runs and take five wickets. Once more, as New Zealand acquired pace on ball at the end, Michael Bracewell made 53 off 40 to present himself and his bowling mates with a target.
India too had a carefree beginning of 64 for 0 in the powerplay, but New Zealand continued to come back by inching, although an opening partnership of 105 runs between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill threatened to derail them. Without the Varun Chakravarthy mystery or Kuldeep Yadav’s left-arm wristspin skill, New Zealand took advantage of the higher turn — average of 2 degrees in the first innings, 3.4 in the second – and pushed India hard. Their spinners bowled 35 overs for 152 runs and five wickets.
All the other batters except Virat Kohli received a start — scores varied between Rohit’s 76 and Hardik Pandya’s run-a-ball 18 — but none of them finished it off. Their phenomenal depth, however, worked in their favor as KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja guided them home with one over remaining and four wickets still to fall.
It was a last to save the tournament which had been low on close games. India arrived with a lot more ammunition for the conditions than New Zealand, but the toss was a slightly levelling influence. Rachin Ravindra, tournament-leading run-getter, played a dream innings against the new ball, the best conditions all day long. He made 37 off 29 in a start that amazed the crowd, abetted by two dropped chances.
In the pump, India turned to their most probable wicket-takers rather than adopting the traditional method of bowling Axar Patel with the new ball. Varun edged Will Young on a legbreak with drift, but natural variation delivered the coup de grace to get him lbw. Kuldeep, yet to announce himself with just five wickets until now, did so with two of the biggest wickets on the last: Ravindra to a wrong’un first ball, and Kane Williamson beaten in the air with big dip and leaving a return catch.
Three wickets had fallen to leave New Zealand at 75 by 3, and it was now the turn of Tom Latham and Daryl Mitchell to maintain wickets in hand for the finishing kick. Mitchell struggled to play freely, so that Latham – a mainstay in the middle overs of ODI cricket – had to be adventurous. And when you risk against metronomic Jadeja –10–0–30–1 – you had better not get out because he will lbw you.
For the second time in this tournament, India bowled only spin in the middle overs. It was a slow pitch but provided very little turn. It is a testament to the quality and the accuracy of India’s spinners that New Zealand were strangled through the interval. It took them 21 overs to reach double their ten-over score of 69. Varun returned to dismiss Glenn Phillips in the 38th over, again stifling their charge.
Bracewell reminded of how easily Ravindra batted as India returned to pace on ball at the latter end. Mitchell, who after Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill, scored his slowest fifty, now attempted an attack but a slower ball by Mohammed Shami proved costly for him. Bracewell, however, hammered three fours and two sixes to provide New Zealand what only appeared to be respectability at the moment.
Even that respectability seemed shady the way Rohit began the chase. Some heart-stopping hitting off the pace bowlers — including Nathan Smith, the fill-in for Matt Henry, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker who had hurt his shoulder — nudged Santner’s hand. He brought himself on in the ninth over, but the most they and Ravindra could get was some pretty quiet overs.
In the opening over after the drinks interval, Phillips made his third unbelievable catch of the tournament, leaping high at extra cover and taking a one-hander to send Gill back. Bracewell trapped Kohli lbw for one with his first ball. Now the easy runs were over. Rohit slowed down, as if preparing himself for an old-fashioned Rohit knock. Then, though, after a spell of eight overs for 19 runs and two wickets, he charged at Ravindra, looking to hit his fourth six of the night, missed, and was stumped.
Iyer, with two half-centuries already to his credit, and Axar then mended the damage with a 61-run stand from 122 for 3. Iyer was the more aggressive of the two. Young held him at the deep midwicket boundary but brushed the boundary running along, Jamieson dropped him as he attempted two back-to-back sixes off Phillips, the sixth dropped catch in the two teams.
As Iyer got out in the 39th over, caught off Santner at short fine leg, India had 67 left from 68. The required rate only touched a run a ball – the difference between the balls and runs was at the most four with six overs remaining. Having faith in their depth, India continued taking the occasional risk and continued striking sixes. Once pace eventually returned, the composed Rahul moved India forward. Jamieson served up one last hindrance in the shape of Hardik’s dismissal off a vicious bouncer in the 48th over, but India still had Jadeja in reserve.
INDIA VS NEW-ZEALAND: INDIA WON BY 254/6(49)
