IND vs NZ Review: India lift the Champions Trophy for the third time
India lifted the Champions Trophy title for the first time in 12 years, defeating New Zealand by four wickets in the summit clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, March 9.
Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to bat first, and Rachin Ravindra started from where he left off in the semifinal. The southpaw hit a flurry of boundaries as the Kiwis raced to 57 in quick time. However, India pulled things back nicely with three quick wickets. Tom Latham and Daryl Mitchell tried to resurrect the innings, but they could only muster a 33-run partnership off 66 balls. After Latham lost his wicket to Ravindra Jadeja, Glenn Phillips and Mitchell put on a 57-run stand off 87 balls. Phillips showed a lot of patience, but Varun Chakaravarthy ended his knock with a brilliant googly. Mitchell got himself to a watchful half-century before Michael Bracewell’s blistering 53 not out off 40 balls helped the Kiwis finish on 251/7 after 50 overs.
Rohit Sharma put the New Zealand bowlers to the sword by batting aggressively inside the first powerplay. Shubman Gill, on the other hand, played the waiting game. The partnership yielded 105 runs as India were cruising towards the target. However, similar to the New Zealand innings, India lost three wickets in quick succession.
After Rohit was dismissed for a brilliant 76 off 83 balls, India needed Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel to step up, and they did so by forming a 61-run partnership. After Iyer’s dismissal, Axar and KL Rahul added 20 runs off 17 balls to take India closer to the target.
Axar threw his wicket away in the 42nd over, with India needing another 49 runs for a victory. Hardik Pandya batted with positive intent after Axar’s dismissal and added 38 runs with Rahul in 36 deliveries. The Baroda all-rounder was dismissed in the 48th over before Jadeja and Rahul took India home. The Asian giants finished the run-chase with an over to spare.
Top Performers of the match
Rohit Sharma – 76 off 83 balls
Rohit Sharma did not get a big score in the tournament heading into the final. However, he stepped up with the bat when it mattered the most. He hit seven fours and three sixes during his knock of 76 off 83 balls. His explosive start helped India to keep the required run-rate manageable at all times.
Michael Bracewell 2/28 in 10 overs
Four bowlers picked up two wickets each in the match. However, Bracewell was the most economical bowler among them, as he conceded just 28 runs and picked up the wickets of Kohli and Axar. He bowled accurately against the in-form Indian batters and didn’t allow them to keep the runs ticking.
