India beat New Zealand to win third Champions Trophy title

DUBAI: India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the final of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy, held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first, scoring 251 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted overs, setting India a target of 252 runs.

Skipper Rohit Sharma (76) topscored for India, who chased down the 252-run target with one over to go.

Chasing 252 for victory, India got off to a fast start through Rohit’s first half-century of the tournament before KL Rahul made an unbeaten 34 to help achieve the target with six balls to spare in the final in Dubai.

India’s first wicket fell at a total of 105 runs when Shubman Gill was dismissed after scoring 31.

New Zealand’s bowlers struck quickly again, sending Virat Kohli back to the pavilion for just one run. India’s third wicket was also Kohli’s, despite his earlier strong performance.

India’s fourth wicket fell at 183 when Shreyas Iyer was dismissed for 48, while the fifth wicket fell at 203 when Axar Patel returned to the pavilion after scoring 29.

Earlier, New Zealand’s innings started with an early loss at 57 runs when opener Will Young was dismissed for 15 by Varun Chakravarthy. Their second wicket fell at 69 when Rachin Ravindra scored 37 before being bowled by Kuldeep Yadav.

New Zealand’s skipper Kane Williamson struggled on the pitch, scoring only 11 runs before falling at a total of 75 — another wicket claimed by Kuldeep Yadav.

The team’s fourth wicket fell at 108 when Tom Latham was dismissed for 14 by Ravindra Jadeja. Glenn Phillips contributed 34 runs before being bowled by Chakravarthy at a total of 165.

New Zealand’s innings saw further setbacks with Daryl Mitchell scoring 63 before being dismissed at 211, and their seventh wicket fell at a total of 239 runs.

At the toss, New Zealand’s captain Mitchell Santner revealed that bowler Matt Henry was unable to play the final due to injury. He noted that the pitch looked favorable and was similar to the one used in their previous match against India.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma praised New Zealand’s team and stated that batting second would not make a difference.

Notably, 25 years ago in the second edition of the ICC Champions Trophy final held in Nairobi, New Zealand defeated India by four wickets, thanks to a brilliant century by Chris Cairns.