Champions Trophy 2025 Final: India beats New Zealand

India has done it again! In a nail-biting final of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, they edged past New Zealand with a thrilling four-wicket win to claim their third title in history.

The Men in Blue maintained their composure and crossed the finish line in 49 overs while chasing a target of 252 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, making history once again.

India has already won the Champions Trophy twice, in 2002 (as joint winners) and in 2013. For Indian cricket fans throughout the world, it is a moment to remember as they finally lifted the cherished trophy again after a lengthy 12-year absence!

After the Blackcaps won the toss and chose to bat first, India’s spinners reversed the tide of the match by putting on an outstanding display that held New Zealand to 251/7. Varun Chakravarthy (2/45) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) spearheaded the attack, with Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja each contributing a wicket. Daryl Mitchell (63) and Michael Bracewell (53) had crucial runs to propel New Zealand to a competitive score despite the tight bowling.

In response, captain Rohit Sharma’s dominant 76 got India off to a scorching start. Together with important middle-order contributions, Shreyas Iyer (48) and KL Rahul (34*) made sure India reached the finish line in 49 overs, capping an exciting four-wicket triumph.

Here’s what Captain Rohit Sharma said after the win

Rohit said, “I want to appreciate everyone who came out and supported us. The crowd here has been magnificent; they have turned this into our home ground even though it isn’t. The number of people that came here to watch us play and to give them that win was satisfying. Not just this game but right through, our spinners in particular, there’s too much expectation when you are playing on a pitch like that. We do understand their strengths and used them to our advantage.”

Also, during the press conference following the game, India skipper Rohit Sharma put a stop to any rumors that he could retire from one-day internationals.

After winning the T20 World Cup last year, Rohit and Virat Kohli both declared their retirements from T20 internationals, sparking speculation that Sunday’s event in Dubai would be similar.

However, Rohit made a forceful declaration to cut off the conversation: “One more thing,” he said with a smile. “I’m not going to retire from this format, just to make sure that no rumors are spread moving forward.”

That announcement essentially guarantees that the right-hander is here to stay, possibly helping India qualify for the Cricket World Cup in 2027!

Here’s what Mitchell Santner said after the Champions Trophy game

Starner said, “It has been a good tournament. We had challenges along the way, but we have grown as a group and played some good cricket. We were beaten by a good side who turned up today. Lot of good stuff from our group, guys stepping up at different times, and that’s all you can ask as a captain. It was good bowling. We lost a couple of wickets after the powerplay. Credit to the way their spinners vowled all four of the world class. We were 25 under; we had a total; we tried to fight, and that’s what we did.”