Don’t ask how they won, but a title is what matters. After a gap of 4,277 days, the Indian cricket team finally won an ICC ODI title, as they beat New Zealand in the final of the Champions Trophy 2025. Rohit Sharma’s men, after being set a target of 252, had a topsy-turvy chase — where they were in the driver’s seat at one stage, and were pushed against the wall in the other. Eventually, they settled for a four-wicket victory with six balls to spare.
Rohit Sharma Powers India to First ODI Title Since 2013
After two failed attempts at the trophy — in 2017 Champions Trophy, and in the 2023 World Cup, Rohit Sharma wanted to take no chances, and took matters in his own hands — scored a brilliant 76 from 83 to help India cross the finish line. Yes, Virat Kohli failed, and the criticism in ICC Finals remains, but then Shreyas Iyer’s 48, and KL Rahul’s unbeaten 34 just did the job for Team India.
𝗖. 𝗛. 𝗔. 𝗠. 𝗣. 𝗜. 𝗢. 𝗡. 𝗦!
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 9, 2025
The Rohit Sharma-led #TeamIndia are ICC #ChampionsTrophy 2025 𝙒𝙄𝙉𝙉𝙀𝙍𝙎
Take A Bow!
Yes, the wicket was slightly better than what was offered in other matches at the same venue, but still a tough one after the ball got old. That was visible in India’s opening stand between Rohit and Shubman Gill, who added 105 together, but then the wickets started falling at regular intervals, and the run-rate also came significantly down; once the ball got old.
Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav Stars of Champions Trophy
Credit should be given where it’s due, New Zealand, especially Glenn Phillips was once again a superman on the field, and took a stunner to get rid of Gill. But then,, all’s well that ends well. India managed to win their second successive title under Rohit Sharma, after the T20 World Cup 2024.
Earlier in the day, Rachin Ravindra exhibited a masterclass of sorts, and gave India a scare with his 37 from 29, that included four fours and a six. When on full song, he took New Zealand to 57/0 in 8 overs. But then Indian spinners once again had other plans. They not only picked up wickets, but also dried up the runs significantly. And the Kiwis went from 69/1 in 10 overs to 5/175 in 38 overs.
As far as the Kiwi bowling is concerned, Michael Bracewell was the pick of the bowlers and returned with figures of 2/28 in 10 overs. On the other hand, it was Kuldeep Yadav with 2/40. In short, India just showed that they can win ODI titles too.
Editor's Pick
Cricket
India squad for England Tests: Shreyas Iyer, Sai Sudharsan & Rajat Patidar in contention
Top Stories
