India secured their third Champions Trophy title with a four-wicket victory over New Zealand. Despite New Zealand’s spirited defense, India’s quality and depth proved decisive as they maintained their unbeaten streak across two consecutive ICC tournaments. They now hold two of the four ICC trophies, having lost in the final of the other two. In the last three ICC events, India have won 22 of their 23 completed matches.
On a sluggish pitch, scoring followed a familiar pattern. New Zealand, after winning the toss, raced to 69 for 1 in the powerplay. However, India’s spinners clawed them back, conceding just 144 runs in 38 overs while taking five wickets. Despite minimal turn, their accuracy stifled the scoring. Michael Bracewell’s late surge (53 off 40) helped New Zealand post 251 for 7.
India responded with an aggressive 64-run opening stand. Rohit Sharma (76) and Shubman Gill laid the foundation before New Zealand’s spinners tightened the grip. Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav’s mystery spin troubled New Zealand, as they shared four wickets between them. Kuldeep dismissed the tournament’s leading run-scorer, Rachin Ravindra, and Kane Williamson in quick succession, reducing New Zealand to 75 for 3. Daryl Mitchell (63) and Tom Latham attempted a rebuild, but Ravindra Jadeja’s disciplined spell (10-0-30-1) kept them in check.
Rohit’s aggressive knock set the tone, but after his dismissal, the chase got tricky. India lost wickets regularly, with Virat Kohli departing for just one. Shreyas Iyer (48) and Axar Patel steadied the innings before KL Rahul (34*) and Jadeja guided India home with an over to spare. New Zealand fought hard, but India’s depth ensured they finished the job comfortably.
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