India creates history! India lifts the ICC Champions Trophy in a nail-biting final against New Zealand. India became the reason for cheers, hoots, and celebrations across the nation and beyond as they lifted the ICC Champions Trophy, defeating New Zealand by four wickets in a thrilling final on March 9, 2025, in Dubai. The nation erupted with joy as this victory marked India’s second ICC trophy in just nine months, after winning the T20 World Cup in June, 2024.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his congratulations to the team by sharing a post on X, “Exceptional Game and an Exceptional Result! Proud of the Indian Cricket team for bringing home the ICC Champions Trophy. They’ve played wonderfully through the tournament. Congratulations to our team for the splendid all around display.”
The Men in Blue showcased their dominance throughout the tournament, remaining unbeaten in their campaign.
The key highlights of the match are as follows: New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first. Will Young (15 off 23) and Rachin Ravindra (37 off 29) started to build a steady partnership and took Indian bowlers by storm attacking early on and taking on the pace bowlers. It seemed like the Cup was drifting away from Team India when Rohit Sharma took his trump cards out. The Indian bowlers, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, gripped up and took early wickets leaving the Kiwi batting lineup dismantled. Daryl Mitchell played an extravagant knock of 63 off 101 and Michael Bracewell remained unbeaten at 53 off 40 which allowed the team to put up a total of 251/7 in 50 overs.
Chasing 252 runs, Skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill gave India a blazing start by finding boundaries right from the first over. They recorded a brilliant partnership of 105 runs until Gill was caught out by a stunning one-handed catch by Glenn Phillips. Sharma counterattacked and his explosive 76 off 83 (7 fours, 3 sixes) set a tone for the innings.
Shreyas Iyer, finding a good support from Axar Patel, played a pivotal role in the match by scoring a vital 48 and throwing in massive sixes. Though New Zealand’s bowlers applied pressure, KL Rahul’s calm demeanour helped him earn a swift 34 runs, and Ravindra Jadeja’s measured doubles and final boundary helped India secure its victory.
The stadium erupted in cheers and the victory was celebrated by the presentation of medals and iconic white jackets to each team member. Captain Rohit Sharma was pleased with the results and thanked the fans for their support, especially those at the stadium for their constant cheers. He also shut down rumours about retiring from the ODI cricket format. Virat Kohli expressed his joy in winning the Champions Trophy and the former skipper said, “We wanted to bounce back after a tough Australian Tour, and wanted to win a big tournament, so to win the Champions Trophy is amazing.”
After twelve long years, the wait was finally over. This winning moment will be etched in the hearts of all the true Indian Cricket fans. Hearty congratulations to the excellent leader, Rohit Sharma, the team, the support staff, and the entire Indian cricket fandom.
