India Defeats New Zealand by 44 Runs in ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Today, March 2, 2025, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, India defeated New Zealand by 44 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy match. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy’s brilliant bowling performance and Shreyas Iyer’s crucial innings played a key role in this victory.
New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl first. India’s start was not ideal, losing their first three wickets within just 30 runs. Shubman Gill (2), Rohit Sharma (15), and Virat Kohli (11) were dismissed quickly. Kohli’s wicket was particularly notable, as he was caught brilliantly by Glenn Phillips.
In this challenging situation, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel stabilized the innings with a crucial 98-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Shreyas scored 79 runs, helping India reach a respectable total. Axar Patel contributed 42 runs, while Hardik Pandya played an attacking knock of 45 runs towards the end, guiding India to a total of 249 runs.
Chasing a target of 250, New Zealand struggled against India’s spinners. Varun Chakravarthy, playing only his second ODI match, took 5 wickets, dismantling New Zealand’s batting lineup. Captain Kane Williamson tried to resist with a solid 81-run innings, but with little support from other batters, New Zealand was bowled out for 205 runs.
With this victory, India secured a place in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy. Varun Chakravarthy’s spin bowling and Shreyas Iyer’s crucial innings were instrumental in the team’s success.