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India made history on Sunday, clinching their third ICC Champions Trophy title with a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the final in Dubai.
A quickfire half-century from skipper Rohit Sharma, crucial contributions from Shreyas Iyer, and stellar performances by spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav ensured an all-round triumph for Team India. Following the historic win, the President of India, Draupadi Murmu, extended her heartfelt congratulations to the team, acknowledging their remarkable achievement. Taking to her X handle, she wrote, "Heartiest congratulations to Team India for winning the ICC Champions Trophy, 2025. India became the only team to win the Trophy thrice. The players, the management, and the support staff deserve the highest accolades for creating cricketing history. I wish Indian cricket a very bright future." https://x.com/rashtrapatibhvn/status/1898774679222972446 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also lauded India's dominant performance and the inspiration it provides to young cricketers. He posted, "What a fantastic victory and superb performance by the Indian cricket team! Team India has scripted history by defeating New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final. India is elated by this victory. Congratulations to the entire team on their spectacular display of cricketing skills. Today's victory will motivate many youngsters and aspiring cricketers." https://x.com/rajnathsingh/status/1898770887958204486 With this triumph, India became the most successful team in Champions Trophy history, surpassing Australia with three titles to their name. Coming to the match, New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first. Kiwis got off to a fine start with a 57-run stand between Will Young (15) and Rachin Ravindra (37 in 29 balls, with four boundaries and a six). However, Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) applied some breaks and reduced NZ to 75/3. A 57-run stand between Daryl Mitchell (63 in 101 balls, with three fours) and Michael Bracewell pushed Kiwis towards 150-plus runs. Bracewell played a fine hand of 53* in 40 balls, with three fours and two sixes, taking NZ to 251/7 in their 50 overs. Kuldeep (2/40) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/45) were the top wicket-takers for India. Mohammed Shami also took a wicket but conceded 74 runs in his nine overs. During the run-chase, India had a fine 105-run stand to start off things between skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill (31 in 50 balls, with a six). While Gill, Virat and eventually Rohit (76 in 83 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) lost their wickets quickly, leaving India at 122/3, Shreyas Iyer (48 in 62 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Axar Patel (29 in 40 balls, with a four and six) stitched a 61-run stand. After India lost Axar following the crossing of the 200-run mark, KL Rahul (34* in 33 balls, with a four and a six) and Hardik Pandya (18) did their job of taking India to the finishing line with six wickets and an over left. Michael Bracewell (2/28) and Mitchell Santner (2/46) were the top wicket-takers for NZ. (ANI)
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