Eighteen months after their World Cup final heartbreak, India has reasserted their ODI dominance with a Champions Trophy triumph in the United Arab Emirates.
Rohit Sharma’s men defeated New Zealand by four wickets in a tense final in Dubai, chasing a 252-run target with six balls to spare. The Indian skipper, later named player of the match, clobbered a 41-ball fifty before wicketkeeper KL Rahul held his nerve at the death to seal the triumph.
The victory gives India its first 50-over title since the 2013 Champions Trophy, while the Black Caps will need to wait for another chance in an ICC final.
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NEW ZEALAND’S ‘ENORMOUS LOSS’ SORELY FELT
Cheers echoed around Dubai International Stadium, which was packed with Indian supporters, when Black Caps captain Mitchell Santner confirmed that quick Matt Henry had been ruled out of the Champions Trophy final due to injury.
Henry was the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with ten scalps at 16.70, including a five-wicket haul against India during the group stage. No cricketer from a Test-playing nation has taken more men’s ODI wickets since the start of 2024.
However, the 33-year-old damaged his shoulder when completing an outfield catch during Wednesday’s semi-final triumph over South Africa in Lahore, failing to recover before the decider.
“That is massive,” former Black Caps bowler Simon Doull said after the toss.
“An enormous loss, he’s been New Zealand’s best bowler in the last three years in white-ball cricket.
“He’s a huge loss. There will be a few Indian batters breathing a sigh of relief.
“Really sad for Matt Henry, sad for New Zealand.”
Henry has proven a damaging weapon with the new ball — in 11 ODIs against India, he has taken ten wickets at 20.20 during the Powerplay.
And his absence was sorely felt on Sunday.
“He is the destroyer in chief in the Powerplay,” former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik said of Henry.
“If there was a bowler that India were worried about mainly, it was Matt Henry.”
New Zealand’s inexperienced bowling attack failed to unearth a breakthrough in the first 18 overs of India’s run chase, with rival captain Rohit Sharma and fellow opener Shubman Gill combining for a 105-run stand, the highest opening partnership of the tournament.
Meanwhile, seamer Nathan Smith, who replaced Henry in New Zealand’s starting XI, finished with 0-22 from two ineffective overs.
“You see now his value when you haven’t got him,” former Black Caps gloveman Ian Smith said in commentary.
“If you’ve got a medium-type total on the board, you need someone who can hit line and length early.”
RUTHLESS ROHIT BOUNCES BACK AFTER HORROR SUMMER
It’s been a rough few months for Rohit Sharma.
The Indian captain endured a horror run during the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign in Australia, omitted for the series decider at the SCG after accumulating 31 runs at 6.20 across three matches.
Sharma offered a glimpse of his big-hitting potential with explosive bursts throughout the Champions Trophy, but started his campaign with scores of 41, 20, 15 and 28.
However, Indian coach Gautam Gambhir leapt to Sharma’s defence ahead of Sunday’s tournament decider in Dubai.
“If your captain bats with such a tempo, it just gives a very good signal to the dressing room that we want to be absolutely fearless and courageous,” Gambhir told reporters.
“You evaluate from the runs; we evaluate from the impact. That’s the difference.”
And on Sunday, Sharma well and truly rewarded the selectors’ faith.
The right-hander launched into a brutal assault after walking out to bat on Sunday evening, clobbering seven boundaries and three sixes. He combined with Shubman Gill for a 105-run stand, the highest opening partnership of the tournament, to set the tone for India’s run chase.
After slapping the second delivery of the innings over square leg for six, Sharma charged at New Zealand seamer Nathan Smith and dispatched him over mid-wicket for another maximum.
It was ruthless.
Sharma stalled when New Zealand’s spinners were introduced towards the end of the Powerplay, dismissed in the 27th over after recklessly charging at tweaker Rachin Ravindra.
But the 37-year-old’s blitz put India on the path towards a third Champions Trophy title.
“Having eight batsmen (in the starting XI) gives you that confidence to go slightly hard up front with the new ball,” Sharma said after the match.
“If it comes off, it comes off. If not, then so be it.”
NEW ZEALAND’S FINALS CURSE CONTINUES
Of the eight nations competing at this year’s Champions Trophy, New Zealand comfortably had the smallest population of just over five million – about 0.3 per cent of India’s.
New Zealand doesn’t have the same resources and funding as cricket’s big three, while they don’t boast a plethora of household names.
Yet, the Black Caps continue to shine in ICC events.
There have been 12 major ICC men’s tournaments since the start of 2011, with New Zealand qualifying for the knockouts in eight of them, more often than Australia, England, South Africa and Pakistan. The Blacks Caps finished as the runners-up for World Cup campaigns in 2015 and 2019, also qualifying for the 2021 T20 World Cup final.
However, of those eight tournaments, New Zealand only walked away with the title on one occasion – the 2021 World Test Championship final against India.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the Champions Trophy final, former England captain Nasser Hussain acknowledged New Zealand’s sustained success in ICC events – even if that hasn’t always translated into silverware.
“All the way through the New Zealand lineup they have some very, very tough cricketers who turn up to every single game and give it their absolute best – that’s why they will always be there around semi-finals and finals,” Hussain said.
“They also have that great mixture between senior pros that have been there year in, year out – like Kane Williamson, one of the all-time greats – and youth in the likes of Rachin Ravindra. They may well lose, but if they do, it will be because India beat them.”
Despite putting together a commendable performance against India, Sunday’s defeat adds another chapter to New Zealand’s sorry record in finals.
“We’ve always been in awe of what they can do with the limited number of players they’ve had over the years,” Indian superstar Virat Kohli said after the final.
“Every time we play against them in big games, you know they’re going to come with a set plan, and no other team in world cricket executes plans as well as they do.
“Credit to them, they’ve been probably the most consistent team in the last few years in big tournaments.”
Most ICC men’s knockout appearances since 2011
12 – India
8 – New Zealand
7 – England
6 – Australia
5 – South Africa, Pakistan
KIWIS BAMBOOZLED BY MYSTERY SPINNER YET AGAIN
After Varun Chakaravarthy bamboozled New Zealand’s batters during last week’s group-stage clash in Dubai with a maiden ODI five-wicket haul, Black Caps captain Mitchell Santner declared that his teammates would be more equipped to handle the Indian spinner in the final.
“I think guys will be better for the run against Varun,” Santner told reporters on Saturday.
“He’s obviously a world-class bowler, we’ve seen it here and in the IPL. He’s got that little bit of mystery.
“But it was the first time some of the guys have been facing him. I think they’ll learn from the other day.”
However, the Kiwis still looked all at sea against Chakaravarthy during Sunday’s decider in Dubai.
The Dubai surface wasn’t offering much assistance for India’s tweakers in the final, so Chakaravarthy was forced to target the stumps and rely on his variation deliveries, mixing in googles and arm balls throughout his probing spell.
And the simple ploy worked, with the 33-year-old taking 2-45.
New Zealand’s batters couldn’t pick his wrong-un — all-rounder Glenn Phillips bowled through the gate, while opener Will Young was trapped on the pads LBW.
The deceptive Chakaravarthy, playing just his fourth ODI, didn’t concede a single boundary during his ten-over spell, with the Black Caps looking to survive rather than attack.
“It was a good wicket compared to the last wicket. It was not turning much,” Chakaravarthy said during the innings break.
“All I could do was stick to the stump line and wait for the batsmen to make a mistake.”
And unlike other wrist spinners, Chakaravarthy relishes the opportunity to bowl during the Powerplay and the death overs.
“It’s more challenging,” he explained.
“Obviously it gives some more opportunities to take wickets because batsmen look to (attack), so I enjoy that phase.”
‘NO DOUBT’: KIWIS IMPEDED BY TRAVEL SCHEDULE
The Black Caps needed to travel 7048km across their Champions Trophy campaign, flying from Karachi, to Rawalpindi, to Dubai, to Lahore, and then back to the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, India spent their entire tournament in Dubai.
The tangled scheduling has been a hot topic throughout the tournament, but ahead of Sunday’s final in Dubai, pundits questioned whether the additional travel interrupted New Zealand’s preparation.
“There’s no doubt that coming here after Lahore – we had a full day of travel yesterday – takes it out of you a little bit,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said this week.
“We’re deep into the tournament now and sometimes it’s not always a lot of training that you need. It’s just getting your body and your mind right to compete in the final. That will be our key focus over the next two days.”
When asked about India’s favourable schedule, Stead responded: “They’re not decisions that come across my desk anyway. For us, it’s something that we can’t control, so it’s really just getting on with it.”
Having played all their matches at Dubai International Stadium, a venue that favours spinners, India had the added luxury of acclimatising to the conditions across several weeks, while New Zealand played their previous match — Wednesday’s semi-final against South Africa — at the high-scoring Gaddafi Stadium, where 330 has proven a par score.
“I think that’s just about adapting and working out on your feet what you think that par score is for the day,” Stead continued.
“I think the danger is you come from scoring 360-odd in a game and you think you’ll do that again immediately and you go a little bit hard. So, for us, it’s just working out what is the right tactics on the day, who we are faced up against as well, and then adapting to that.”
RAVINDRA HEADLINES CRICKET’S NEXT ‘FAB FOUR’
With the Fab Four approaching the twilight of their international careers, New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra has emerged as the player who will lead the next generation of batting superstars.
The 25-year-old, named player of the Champions Trophy on Sunday, struck two hundreds during the tournament – 112 against Bangladesh in the group stage and 112 against South Africa in the semi-finals – to help the Black Caps qualify for the final.
Ravindra subsequently loomed as the kep scalp ahead of Sunday’s decider — but India couldn’t hold onto their chances.
The left-hander was dropped twice during the Powerplay, with seamer Mohammed Shami putting down a return catch before Shreyas Iyer missed a chance at deep mid-wicket.
But just when it seemed as though Ravindra was destined for another massive score, Kuldeep Yadav intervened.
The spinner’s first delivery of the match was a well-directed googly that spun through the gate and rattled the timber. It proved a game-changing moment, with the runs drying up following Ravindra’s departure.
Having also cracked three centuries during the 2023 World Cup campaign in India, Ravindra now boasts more ODI hundreds in ICC tournaments than the likes of AB de Villiers, Mark Waugh and Kiwi mentor Kane Williamson.
Whenever Williamson decides to hang up the boots, Ravindra looms as the player who will take on the mantle as New Zealand’s middle-order enforcer.
“He is always eager to learn, constantly seeking advice from experienced players like Williamson. For a young player, his willingness to improve stands out,” former New Zealand captain Tim Southee told ESPNcricinfo.
“There’s no doubt that he’s naturally gifted, but he also puts in a lot of hard work. He is elegant to watch and has a smooth batting style. His talent is remarkable.
“If you see him bat, you’d think he has been playing international cricket for years.”
Ravindra is a stylish 360-degree player, capable of sweeping through square, driving through the covers and attacking down the ground when required.
During the decider in Dubai, he cracked consecutive boundaries against all-rounder Hardik Pandya off deliveries that pitched in almost the same spot — one was pulled over mid-wicket for six, while the other was carved through point for four.
“He rotates the strike well … he’s the complete package in terms of strike rate and scoring rate,” former Australian opener Matthew Hayden said in commentary.
“He’s a player of the ages.”
Meanwhile, former England captain Michael Atherton called Ravindra “one of the brightest young talents in the game”.
“We say similar about Harry Brook, and there’s Yashasvi Jaiswal too with India, these are the guys who are going to be among the handful of the next generation of greats.
“Williamson has obviously been part of what we call ‘The Fab Four’, along with (Joe) Root, (Steve) Smith and (Virat) Kohli, and I think Ravindra is among the next group of players to take that on.”
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