Powered by Rohit Sharma’s 76 and a crucial late partnership between KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya, India successfully chased down 252 to defeat New Zealand and secure their third Champions Trophy title.
India clinched their record-extending third Champions Trophy title on Sunday, ending a 12-year wait with a thrilling 4-wicket win over New Zealand in the CT 2025 final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Chasing a challenging target of 252 after Mitchell Santner’s side opted to bat first, India got off to a blistering start, led by captain Rohit Sharma’s explosive half-century. Rohit raced to his fifty in just 41 balls, including three sixes and a flurry of boundaries, as India reached their fastest team fifty of the tournament in just 7.1 overs. However, after the dismissals of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, Rohit’s departure on 76 allowed New Zealand to regain some control. Yet, crucial partnerships between Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel, followed by KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya, steadied the chase.
India sealed the victory with Ravindra Jadeja hitting the winning runs in the penultimate over off Will O’Rourke, ensuring India’s successful pursuit of the target.
This triumph marked India’s third Champions Trophy victory, breaking their tie with Australia, who also have three titles. India’s previous wins came in 2002 (shared with Sri Lanka) and 2013. Just eight months after leading India to their second T20 World Cup title in Barbados, Rohit continued his exceptional leadership in ICC white-ball tournaments. Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, India has played 23 matches across three ICC limited-overs events, suffering just one defeat in the World Cup final to Australia.
The win also marked India’s seventh ICC title since Kapil Dev’s 1983 World Cup victory, joining two T20 World Cups, two Cricket World Cups, and three Champions Trophies. Rohit Sharma became only the second Indian captain, after MS Dhoni, to win multiple ICC trophies.
