Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer. | (Image Credits: BCCI X)
Team India have clinched the Champions Trophy 2025, albeit there were some jitters out in the middle as they beat New Zealand by five wickets on Sunday in the final at the Dubai International Stadium. Rohit Sharma’s opening onslaught was decisive in making the work easy for the rest of the batters.
Earlier, New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner had opted to bat first and the Kiwis managed a reasonable 251/5 on the board, headlined by half-centuries from Michael Bracewell (53) and Daryl Mitchell (63). Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, the leg-spinning twins took two wickets each to dent the Black Caps.
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill create record with a century partnership
In response, Rohit Sharma came out all guns blazing and belted a quick-fire half-century and built a 105-run opening stand. It seemed like the Men in Blue will walk away with the game but the Kiwis roared back with some tight overs to take three wickets for fewer runs. Shreyas Iyer steered their side with a 61-run side with Axar Patel but both fell in almost quick succession.
The momentum continued to shift in New Zealand’s favor when Mitchell Santner dismissed the well-set batter, adding further pressure on India. With the game swinging unpredictably, the pressure of dot balls eventually forced Rohit Sharma to fall for 76 off 83 balls.New Zealand’s bowlers kept applying the squeeze on India’s scoring rate, taking quick wickets. Despite the setbacks, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel began to steady the ship, focusing on rotating the strike and occasionally finding the boundary.
Their partnership grew to 61 runs, but Santner returned to break the stand, sending Iyer back for 48.New Zealand gained control as India lost key wickets but KL Rahul steadied the ship with a top knock under pressure. Nevertheless, it was Ravindra Jadeja, who finished the match with a boundary to seal the match with an over to spare.
