New Delhi: Rohit Sharma and company spun a web of spin around New Zealand, successfully defending 249 and securing victory in their final group-stage match of the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium by 44 runs, ahead of their semi-final clash with Australia on 4 March. Varun Chakravarthy, who was included in the 11 for Sunday’s match, emerged as India’s standout performer with his five-wicket haul, preventing the Kiwis from successfully chasing the target.
India and New Zealand had already secured their places in the semi-finals from Group A of the Champions Trophy, with two wins each, before their encounter began. However, the much-anticipated contest, billed as the ‘final before the final’, ultimately swung in India’s favour.
India’s dismal streak with the toss persisted, marking their 13th consecutive toss in one day internationals (ODIs). They were asked to bat first by Mitchell Santner. Their innings got off to a disastrous start, with Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli all falling within the first seven overs, including Kohli’s dismissal courtesy of a spectacular catch by Glenn Phillips.
Flying Kiwis and Iyer’s resolute innings
Scientifically, the kiwi bird is flightless, but the first innings painted a contrasting picture when Glenn Phillips, stationed at point, pulled off a stunning catch to dismiss Kohli, who was making his 300th ODI appearance for India, for a modest 11 runs.
According to broadcaster JioHotstar, Phillips’s reaction time was less than a second, with the replay needing to be slowed down by 300 percent to capture the sheer speed of the catch. Later in the innings, New Zealand veteran Kane Williamson exhibited a moment of brilliance, diving low to complete a one-handed catch at backward point to dismiss Ravindra Jadeja, making both catches a talking point among cricket enthusiasts.
At the start of the innings, India found themselves in a precarious situation at 30-3, teetering on the brink of collapse. However, India’s number four, Shreyas Iyer, played a resolute innings of 79 off 98 deliveries. The number of balls he faced attested to his ability to anchor the innings when India needed it most, preventing their chances from diminishing too early in the contest.
The Dubai pitch was evidently slow and conducive to spin, coupled with a sluggish outfield, making Iyer’s knock even more commendable. Although he fell short of a century and India was still some distance from a competitive total, all-rounders Axar Patel (42) and Hardik Pandya (45) stepped up with crucial contributions, propelling India to a total of 249.
Spinning a web
India found redemption in Dubai Sunday, as Chakravarthy and the spin contingent dismantled New Zealand, avenging their past struggles, including the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
New Zealand handed India a one-sided defeat, showing them the exit door from the tournament with an eight-wicket win on the same ground where they clashed in the 2021 world cup.
Meanwhile, the Sunday match was a contest of contrasting styles, with India’s quartet of spinners outclassing New Zealand’s pace-dominant strategy on a sluggish surface.
Kane Williamson top-scored for New Zealand with 81, using his footwork adeptly to counter India’s spin. However, as the pressure of the run chase mounted, he played a loose shot and was stumped off Axar Patel’s straighter delivery on the final ball of his spell, opening the floodgates for India’s spinners to tighten their grip on the Kiwi batting order.
New Zealand, renowned for their improved proficiency against spin, were caught off guard as their batsmen struggled to read Chakravarthy’s variations, with the spinner finishing with remarkable figures of 5/42.
“I did feel nervous in the initial stages. I have not played a lot of ODIs for India, so I was apprehensive. However, as the game progressed, I gained confidence. Virat, Rohit, Shreyas, Hardik—everyone kept talking to me, reassuring me to stay calm. I learnt only last night that I would be playing,” the leg-spinner said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
“I was expecting an opportunity to represent my country and was looking forward to it, but there were nerves. It was not an excessively turning pitch, but if you bowled in the right areas, you could extract help. The way Kuldeep, Jaddu, Axar, and even the pacers bowled, it was a complete team effort,” he said.
Playing his first game of the tournament, Chakravarthy claimed his maiden five-wicket haul, stepping up for India at the perfect moment. Initially omitted from the squad announced by the BCCI, he was later brought in as a replacement for Yashasvi Jaiswal, becoming the fifth spinner in the team—a decision that raised eyebrows. However, fielding four spinners (Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and himself) proved to be a masterstroke for the Indian team.
According to former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa, India may have been preserving Chakravarthy to unleash him against the strongest opposition. On Sunday, they did exactly that, and Varun caught New Zealand off guard with his skilful variations.
The other Indian spinners also delivered impactful performances, helping restrict New Zealand to 205 in 44.3 overs, with 155 dot balls. Kuldeep Yadav claimed two wickets, while Patel and Jadeja chipped in with one wicket each, collectively stifling the Kiwi batting line-up.
India’s victory propelled them to the top of the Group A points table. Next, they will face Australia in the first semi-final in Dubai Tuesday. Meanwhile, South Africa, who dominated Group B, will lock horns with New Zealand in the second semi-final Wednesday in Karachi.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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