P.S.: Confidence sooo high, the admin wrote the headline even before the match began!!! 😎

… And our Men in Blue lived up to the expectations of 1.4 billion Indians, winning their record-breaking third Champions Trophy competition! 🇮🇳

Talking about the summit clash, our spinners spun their web on the opposition batting unit in the first innings, restricting them to 251/7 in 50 overs.

In reply, who else but Mumbaicha Raja Rohit Sharma anchored the run chase and made it count when it mattered the most, smashing a mind-boggling 76. 💙

Alright, summary sorted, now let’s jump into the action…

It’s all COOLdeep!

Yadavji certainly knows a thing or two about how to keep the situation cool by taking wickets!

When the Kiwis’ scoreboard read 69/1 at the end of the powerplay, Kuldeep was brought in to restrict the flow of runs. The result? Wicket off the very first ball, sending the dangerous-looking Rachin Ravindra (37 off 29) back to Pavillion. 👏

In his following over, the left-arm spinner dismissed Kane Williamson, who departed without causing much trouble. Maan gaye yaar, Kuldeep!

Varun’s ChakaraWORTHY spell!

After his opening wicket, the mystery spinner returned in the latter half of the innings to bag another scalp, getting the better of Glenn Phillips for a steady 52-ball 34.

With the pitch on the slower side, run-making was getting seemingly tougher and the Indian bowlers ensured no freebies were on offer for the opposition to capitalise on. 💪 

At the end of 38 overs, the scorecard read 165/5.

Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell spare NZ’s blushes

The right-handed batter, who boasts a terrific record against India, registering two tons in the previous three ODIs, was on song once again in today’s encounter.

A mature 101-ball 63, hitting only three boundaries, just highlights how the 33-year-old adapted well to the conditions and navigated his way through a challenging phase.

However, his stay at the crease came to an end in the 46th over when आपला RO took a regulation catch off Mohd. Shami.

Mitchell’s teammate Michael Bracewell too recorded an unbeaten half-century, scoring an attacking 40-ball 53, laced with three fours and two maximums.

Courtesy of the twin knocks, New Zealand concluded at 251/7 in their quota of 50 overs.

ROH🚀T’s NUSTA RADAAAAA!

Jahaan matter bade hote hain, waha HITMAN khade hote hain… 🤝

Making his intentions clear on just the second ball of the chase, the Indian captain dispatched the delivery for a cracking six to get up and running.

There was absolutely no stopping him at any point in the knock, scoring boundaries for fun all over the park en route to his 76, including THIS 👇 humongous maximum!!

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill played the supporting role to perfection as the duo brought up the Champions Trophy 2025’s maiden century partnership. Whatttttaaa occasion to put on a show in the CITY OF GOLD! 🔥

Well, it needed something special to break the stand and it came in the form of another blinder from Glenn Phillips, who took a 🤯 catch to get the better of Shubman Gill. At the end of 19 overs, Team India stood comfortably at 106/1.

Iyer, Axar stabilise things

Quick wickets of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer briefly put the Indian cricket team in a spot of bother. Nonetheless, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel came in to control the circumstances, churning out a 61-run partnership.

While the right-handed batter survived a dropped chance to score 48, Baapu chipped in with a handy 29 as the game hung in balance at the 42nd-over mark.

Humko aisa dhak dhak ho rela hai…

49 runs off 48 balls. KL and HP in the middle. Heartbeat all over the place!

This calls for a “calm under pressure” approach and the two of them exactly did that!

Soon, the equation came down to 32 from 30 and a few boundaries by both players helped everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

THIS IS CRICKET HERITAGE!!!

Final. Tense situation. 7 required off 12. Nails dismantled. AND THERE COMES THE MOMENT.

Jaddu hit the winning runs as every INDIAN sprung out of their seats, beaming in jubilation, getting their firecrackers readied for celebration in what was a triumphant day in Dubai!!!

 

Brief scores: New Zealand 251/7 (Daryl Mitchell 63; Kuldeep Yadav 2/40) lost to India 254/6 (Rohit Sharma 76; Michael Bracewell 2/28) by four wickets.