India edge out New Zealand to win Champions Trophy

Champions Trophy final, Dubai

New Zealand 251-7 (50 overs): Mitchell 63 (101), Bracewell 53 (40); Kuldeep 2-40, Chakravarthy 2-45

India 254-6 (49 overs): Rohit 76 (83); Bracewell 2-28, Santner 2-46

India won by four wickets

Scorecard

India survived a New Zealand fightback to win the Champions Trophy with a four-wicket victory in Dubai.

India, dominant throughout the tournament, made a rampant start in pursuit of 252 only to lose three wickets for 17 runs, including captain Rohit Sharma for 76 and Virat Kohli for one.

Shreyas Iyer followed for 48 and Axar Patel holed out on 29 to leave 49 runs to get from 51 balls.

Hardik Pandya took India closer and, after he fell for 18, KL Rahul finished 34 not out as Ravindra Jadeja hit the winning runs with an over to spare.

That India always still felt ahead of the game was thanks to their spinners once again impressing by limiting New Zealand to 251-7.

Victory confirms India's place as the world's premier white-ball side.

Since being beaten in the final of the 2023 World Cup they have won the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy - a record third time they have won this event but first since 2013.

They were loudly supported by a partisan crowd in Dubai, fireworks erupting into the night sky as the players rushed onto the field at the final moment, but disappointment remained that this final was not played in Lahore, which would have been the case had India not refused to travel to Pakistan.

India on top of the white-ball world

This tournament has flickered without ever catching light - much of the action overshadowed by the debate over the advantages India have had in playing all of their matches in Dubai.

In the end it got a tense finale - at least a finish closer than looked likely for much of the match.

First India's spinners restricted and then Rohit charged.

India looked on course for a thumping win when Rohit was flogging the New Zealand seamers, with the tournament's leading wicket-taker Matt Henry absent with a shoulder injury.

Ultimately, India had to work, as hard as at any point in their unbeaten progression through this tournament, but their depth and quality is such that they were always favourites amid passionate support.

They were also freed by the T20 win last year, which ended their 13-year wait for a world title.

While it does not go all of the way to banishing the pain of the defeat in the final at home in 2023, it provides more silverware for the likes of Rohit and Kohli, who may not have continued in the format had they beaten Australia in Ahmedabad.

With the next men's T20 World Cup co-hosted by India in 2026 and a new generation of Indians eagerly awaiting, the question for the rest of the world is: how do they possibly overhaul India?

A chase always under control

As has been the case throughout in Dubai, spin was far harder to face than pace.

Chasing a below-par score, Rohit pulled the second ball of the innings for six and dominated a stand of 105 with fellow opener Shubman Gill.

New Zealand's fightback was sparked by a stunning one-handed catch by Glenn Phillips - his third such grab of the tournament - at extra cover to dismiss Gill for 31.

Kohli, usually the master of these chases, went lbw to off-spinner Michael Bracewell and Rohit was stumped when advancing to left-arm spinner Rachin Ravindra.

The partnership of 61 between Axar and Iyer was important in steadying India, although both fell trying to accelerate. Iyer, having already been dropped, flicked to short fine leg and Axar tamely punted to long-on to give Santner and Bracewell a further wicket each.

However, the required run-rate was always under control. It only ever nudged slightly above a run per ball as Rahul remained calm, before Hardik pumped a towering straight six with the winning line in sight.

It was fitting that it was Jadeja, another veteran of this era of Indian white-ball cricket, who flicked the winning runs off his hip. New Zealand fought admirably, but this is their fourth defeat in the final of a white-ball event since 2015.

Spin to win

New Zealand started well after opting to bat, reaching 57-0 in the eighth over, but the introduction of spin again brought greater threat.

In Varun Chakravarthy's second over, Ravindra overturned a caught behind decision and was dropped at deep square-leg before Will Young was pinned lbw for 15.

Kuldeep Yadav then bowled Ravindra with his first delivery for 37 and forced Kane Williamson to chip back for 11, leaving New Zealand 75-3, from which point the scoring stalled.

There were two separate spells of 10 overs without a boundary and only four boundaries came in the middle-over period - the least by any team in the tournament so far - as India's spinners targeted the stumps and the batters struggled to get the ball away.

The first five wickets all fell to spin, with Tom Latham missing a sweep to be lbw to Jadeja and Chakravarthy bowling Phillips for 34 amid the struggle.

Daryl Mitchell dug in for a 63 from 101 balls but his knock was always laboured. Bracewell struck three fours and two sixes in hitting 53 off 40 balls late on, but the Black Caps' total never felt enough.

'Youngsters taking Indian cricket forward' - reaction

India batter Virat Kohli: "It's an amazing feeling, lovely to be playing with such amazing youngsters. So much talent in the dressing room and they're taking Indian cricket forward in the right direction.

"These guys are stepping up in a massive way and that's why we're such a strong team."

India captain Rohit Sharma: "We've played some really good cricket throughout the tournament. To come out here and win it is great.

"The crowd has been magnificent. It's not our home ground but they've made it our home ground."

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner: "It's been a good tournament. We faced some challenges along the way but we've grown as a group. We played some good cricket but we fell short to a better team.

"Credit to how they played, they're world class spin bowlers. We were probably about 20 runs under what we wanted but we just went out looking to restrict them."