IND vs NZ Final: Team India's Spin Quartet Plays Anchor Role As They Limit New Zealand To 252 Runs In Champions Trophy
Team India's strong performance in terms of spin bowling allowed Rohit Sharma's side to limit NZ to 252 runs. Mitchell & Bracewell secured their 50s in the play
- SportFit
- 2 min read
IND vs NZ Final, Champions Trophy 2025: Varun Chakaravarthy comes in clutch as Team India managed to limit New Zealand at a score of 251 runs in the Champions Trophy final. The India spin quartet aided the team big-time, and the team's gamble to introduce the spinners early paid off well. Chakaravarthy bagged the opening dismissal, and it turned the game as New Zealand struggled to score runs in the high-stakes clash. A strong bowling performance helped India limit NZ to a much-chaseable target at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
India Limit New Zealand At 252 Runs
New Zealand came in hot, with openers Will Young and Rachin Ravindra scoring some crucial shots that gave them a strong start. But that did not last long as spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav dismissed the openers to give India a breather. Veteran Kane Williamson was also dismissed at 11 runs, and the Kiwis looked in grave danger.
But Daryl Mitchell pulled off a rescue effort to stabilize NZ's momentum and held brief partnerships to help the team as they looked far off a good score in the game. The Tom Latham trouble was taken care of by Ravindra Jadeja, who trapped the Kiwi batter and dismissed him off an lbw. Glenn Phillips was also dismissed by Varun's spectacular delivery, which uprooted the stumps.
However, trouble also landed for Team India after Varun Chakaravarthy was taken off the field. The spinner had some issues with his foot, and he also took some treatment during the play. But it looked like the situation aggravated, and he had to be taken out of the play.
Rohit Sharma Secures Unwanted Record, Joins Brian Lara After Losing Toss vs NZ
New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first against India in the Champions Trophy Final. Skipper Rohit Sharma joined the likes of Brian Lara to become the skipper with the longest streak of losing coin toss, with 12 losses to his name in ODI cricket.
Rohit Sharma's toss-losing streak began on the dreadful day of 19th November 2023 when Australia opted to bowl first. Since then, the Indian Test and ODI skipper has lost all the tosses in One-Day matches.
Team India will be batting in the second innings now.
Published By : Pavitra Shome
Published On: 9 March 2025 at 18:01 IST