In Dubai, India clinched the Champions Trophy with a tense four-wicket victory over New Zealand, surviving a spirited fightback to cement their status as white-ball cricket’s premier force.
Chasing 252, India’s chase roared to life with captain Rohit Sharma’s 76 off 83 balls. “We’ve played some really good cricket throughout the tournament. To come out here and win it is great,” Rohit said, reflecting on a dominant campaign. But a collapse of three wickets for 17 runs—Rohit stumped off Rachin Ravindra, Virat Kohli lbw for one to Michael Bracewell—shifted momentum.
Shreyas Iyer’s 48 and Axar Patel’s 29 steadied the ship, though both fell pushing the pace—Iyer caught at short fine leg off Mitchell Santner, Axar lofting to long-on. With 49 needed off 51 balls, Hardik Pandya’s 18 kept India ticking until KL Rahul, unbeaten on 34, and Ravindra Jadeja sealed it with a boundary, finishing with an over to spare.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner rued the shortfall: “It’s been a good tournament. We faced some challenges along the way but we’ve grown as a group. We played some good cricket but we fell short to a better team. Credit to how they played, they’re world-class spin bowlers. We were probably about 20 runs under what we wanted but we just went out looking to restrict them.” Their 251-7 never felt enough against India’s depth.
The Black Caps started brightly at 57-0, but India’s spinners turned the screws. Kuldeep Yadav struck with his first ball, bowling Ravindra for 37, and later had Kane Williamson caught for 11. “They’re world-class spin bowlers,” Santner acknowledged, as New Zealand slumped to 75-3. Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Will Young lbw for 15 and bowled Glenn Phillips for 34, while Jadeja’s metronomic 10-0-30-1 saw Tom Latham fall lbw.
Daryl Mitchell’s laboured 63 off 101 balls couldn’t ignite fluency—New Zealand went 10 overs twice without a boundary. Bracewell’s late 53 off 40, with three fours and two sixes, lifted them, but India’s spinners held firm, conceding just 144 runs across 38 overs for five wickets.
Rohit’s assault on New Zealand’s seamers—missing the tournament’s top wicket-taker Matt Henry to a shoulder injury—set the tone, pulling the second ball for six in a 105-run stand with Shubman Gill (31). Phillips’ stunning one-handed catch at extra cover ended Gill’s stay, sparking the fightback Santner craved.
Kohli’s rare stumble came via Bracewell’s off-spin, but Axar and Iyer’s 61-run stand kept India ahead. “It’s an amazing feeling, lovely to be playing with such amazing youngsters,” Kohli said of the team’s depth. “So much talent in the dressing room and they’re taking Indian cricket forward in the right direction. These guys are stepping up in a massive way and that’s why we’re such a strong team.”
The required rate barely nudged above a run a ball—Rahul’s calm and Pandya’s towering six off Nathan Smith kept nerves at bay. Jadeja’s flicked four off his hip sealed it, a fitting cap for India’s veterans. “The crowd has been magnificent,” Rohit added. “It’s not our home ground but they’ve made it our home ground.”
This third Champions Trophy triumph—first since 2013—follows India’s 2024 T20 World Cup win, softening the sting of their 2023 ODI World Cup final loss. Unbeaten across this tournament, they’ve now won 22 of 23 completed matches in the last three ICC events.
Yet the final, shifted from Lahore due to India’s refusal to tour Pakistan, left a bittersweet note amid Dubai’s partisan roar and fireworks. The tournament flickered, often overshadowed by India’s all-Dubai schedule, but delivered a finale tighter than expected.
New Zealand’s early 69-1 in the powerplay faded against spin—Chakravarthy and Kuldeep’s guile choked the middle overs, yielding only four boundaries. Bracewell’s late surge offered hope, but Santner admitted: “We were probably about 20 runs under what we wanted.”
India’s chase mirrored the pattern—64-0 in the powerplay, then a wobble as New Zealand’s spinners found 3.4 degrees of turn. Phillips’ third tournament stunner and Bracewell’s Kohli scalp tested India, but their depth shone. “They’re taking Indian cricket forward,” Kohli said of the emerging stars.
With the 2026 T20 World Cup looming on home soil, India’s blend of youth and experience—Rohit, Kohli, Jadeja—poses a daunting challenge. New Zealand’s fourth white-ball final loss since 2015 underlines the gap.
