In the 12th match of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, India defeated New Zealand by 44 runs at the Dubai International Stadium.
England won the toss and asked India to bat first. Batting in the first innings for the first time in the CT 2025, the side posted 249/9 in their 50 overs. Skipper Rohit Sharma (15) once again provided a good start but once again failed to convert it into a big score. Centurian from the last game, Virat Kohli (11) was also caught out early on. However, Shreyas Iyer (79) played a crucial knock, once again proving his mettle against his favorite opponent. The right-handed batter struck four fours and two sixes, anchoring the innings and helping India recover from a shaky start. Axar Patel (42) also played a handy knock, while Hardik Pandya (45) delivered top blows towards the end of the innings.
In the chase, Kane Williamson (81) was the only top performer for the Kiwis. Williamson needed some help from the other end but got minimal support from the likes of Daryl Mitchell (17), and Tom Latham (12). In the end, Mitchell Santner (28) also got a few runs but the game was already out of NZ’s reach.
Playing his first game in this campaign, Varun Chakaravarthy grabbed a fifer and just gave 42 runs. Kuldeep Yadav also took two wickets, while one wicket each was also taken by Pandya, Axar and Jadeja.
For NZ with the ball, Matt Henry secured a fifer, whereas one wicket each was grabbed by Kyle Jamieson, William ORourke, Santner and Rachin Ravindra.
With this win, India will now play against their archrival Australia in the Semi-Final 1 on March 4.
Scorecard:
India: 249/9, Overs 50, Shreyas Iyer 79, Matt Henry 5/42
New Zealand: 205/10, Overs 45.3, Kane Williamson 81, Varun Chakaravarthy 5/42