India lift 3rd Champions Trophy: 5 key takeaways from Men in Blue's title win against New Zealand

Team India successfully ended their 12-year Champions Trophy title with a four-wicket win over New Zealand in the final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, March 9. 

With a target of 252, India chased it down in the penultimate over. Skipper Rohit Sharma was the star performer for the side as he led the batting by giving a fiery start to their run-chase and played much-needed and brilliant innings of 76 off 83 balls. Apart from Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Axar Patel contributed to India’s run-chase significantly with an innings of 48, 34*, and 29.

Apart from India’s Champions Trophy title triumph, let’s take a look at key takeaways from the final against New Zealand. 

5 key takeaways from the Champions Trophy 2025 final between India and New Zealand

1. Kuldeep Yadav's bowling brilliance

Kuldeep Yadav stepped up for the team and performed brilliantly in the title clash. After unimpressive outings in the last two matches, questions were raised whether he would perform in the final against New Zealand. Kuldeep silenced his critics with his impactful performance with the ball. The spinner picked the crucial wickets of Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson to register figures of 2/40 at an economy rate of 4 in 10 overs. Apart from taking wickets, Yadav also restricted the flow of runs in the middle overs of New Zealand’s batting. Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling, alongside vital contributions from Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy, and Mohammed Shami helped India restrict New Zealand to 251 in 50 overs.

2. Daryl Mitchell resilient innings 

Daryl Mitchell has been a man for ICC knockouts for New Zealand since the 2023 ODI World Cup. The 34-year-old yet again produced an impactful performance to keep the Kiwis’ batting steady. Mitchell played a resilient innings of 63 off 101 balls and formed a crucial 57-run partnership with Glenn Phillips (34) for the fifth wicket and then 36-run partnership with Michael Bracewell (51*) for the sixth wicket to take the team past the 200-run mark. However, his gritty and resilient innings went in vain as India chased down the 252-run target set by New Zealand in the final over of the title clash. In the semifinal against South Africa, Daryl Mitchell scored 49, which helped New Zealand set up a defendable total of 362/6.

3. Rohit Sharma's fiery fifty

Rohit Sharma found his form at the right time as he gave India a much-needed start to their 252-run chase. The Indian skipper led the team’s batting from the front with a brilliant innings of 76 off 83 balls, including seven fours and three sixes. He also formed an opening 105-run partnership with Shubman Gill (31 off 50 balls) that laid the foundation for India’s run-chase. This was the first fifty for Rohit Sharma in the recently concluded Champions Trophy 2025. In the last four matches, Sharma scored 41, 20, 15, and 28 against Bangladesh, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Australia, respectively. In five matches, Rohit Sharma has amassed 180 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 36.

4. KL Rahul impactful batting

KL Rahul has always been a silent hero who does not get enough recognition despite his impactful performance in recent matches. In the final against New Zealand, the 31-year-old delivered his best and most importantly, when it mattered the most. Rahul played a gritty unbeaten innings of 34 off 33 balls to help the team chase down the target in the penultimate over of the match. After Axar Patel’s dismissal at 203/5, KL Rahul stitched a crucial 38-run partnership with Hardik Pandya to bring India closer to the target before forging an unbeaten 15-run stand for the seventh wicket to take the team past the finishing line. In the semifinal against Australia, KL Rahul not played an unbeaten innings of 42 off 34 balls but also hit a winning six to take the team over the line and to the final.
 

5. Ravindra Jadeja's winning four

Ravindra Jadeja’s name will be remembered for years to come for his small impact that was significant in India's title-winning moment. He walked out to bat when India needed 12 off 15 balls to win the match. Jadeja and Rahul were taking singles rather than taking risks by playing big shots. The pair pushed Team India near the target. When India needed just two runs off seven balls, the 36-year-old hit a winning four to take the team over the line. Jadeja faced length delivery off William O’Rourke and got into a good position to eventually nail the pull behind square. As soon as Jadeja, the Indian dressing room erupted in joy before the players joined him and KL Rahul on the ground to celebrate the victory.