India beat New Zealand to win third Champions Trophy title

olympics09 March 2025 17:18| © MWP
By:Neil Manthorp
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      Rohit Sharma scored a masterly 76 from 83 balls but India survived a mid-innings scare before completing a four-wicket victory against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

      Replying to a modest 251-7 captain Rohit led from the front with seven fours and three sixes in an opening stand of 105 with Shubman Gill (31) before becoming the third wicket to fall in a trio for the addition of just 17-runs in 7.3 overs to leave the innings tottering at 122-3.

      Gill was spectacularly caught, one-handed, by Glenn Phillips at extra cover and Virat Kohli (1) was trapped lbw by offspinner Michael Bracewell to briefly give New Zealand hope.

      But Shreyas Iyer crafted 48 from 62 balls with a pair of fours and sixes, Axar Patel contributed a patient 29 from 40 balls and veteran KL Rahul finished the job with an unbeaten 34 from 33 balls after Hardik Pandya had eased the nerves with a run-a-ball 18.

      Bracewell was outstanding with 2-28 from his 10 overs and captain Mitch Santner (2-46) dragged his team back into the contest with his left arm spin after fellow left-armer Rachin Ravindra (1-47) had Rohit stumped but the Black Caps simply did not have enough runs to defend.

      Earlier New Zealand themselves became entangled in a web of high-class spin bowling as they struggled to a total of 251-7 after choosing to bat first with India’s four frontline spinners bowling 38 of the 50 overs for a combined collection of 5-115 with only left armer Axar Patel (8-0-29-0) not completing his 10 overs after sustaining a finger injury.

      In-form opener Ravindra gave no indications of the difficulties to come with a fluent 37 from 29 balls and a six but when he was bowled by a googly from wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav (2-40) the innings quickly changed direction after a promising start at 69-1 after 10 overs.

      The great Kane Williamson (11) misread another Kuldeep googly and pushed a leading edge straight back to the bowler after Will Young (15) had been trapped lbw by Yadav’s fellow wrist-spinner Varun Chakravarthy who finished with 2-45.

      Latham (14 from 30) is a consummate player of spin but missed a sweep shot and was trapped lbw by Ravindra Jadeja (1-30) while Glenn Phillips battled hard for his 34 from 52 deliveries (2x4, 1x6) before another, quicker Chakravarthy googly slipped through his defences and crashed into the stumps.

      Nobody battled harder than Daryl Mitchell, however, who reached his 50 from a whopping 93 balls with just a single boundary before finally attmpting to ‘pull the trigger’ against fast bowler Mohammad Shami in the 46th over and driving him straight to captain Rohit Sharma at cover.

      Bracewell smashed Shami and Hardik Pandya for a six apiece in his belated counter-attack which earned him a fighting 53* from just 40 balls (3x4) and gave the Black Caps hopes of an upset victory against the overwhelming tournament favourites but India will begin the run-chase strongly fancied to add the Champions Trophy to the T20 World Cup title they won last year against South Africa.

      NEW ZEALAND: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wkt), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, William Orourke

      INDIA: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wkt), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy