India hammer NZ to lift Champions Trophy

KABUL (Pajhwok): India defeated New Zealand by four wickets to claim the ICC Champions Trophy title in Dubai, news reports say.

Opting to bat first, New Zealand set India a target of 252 runs, as Daryl Mitchell top-scored with 63. Michael Bracewell’s unbeaten half-century guided the Kiwis past the 250-run mark.

For India, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav claimed two wickets each, while Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja picked one scalp apiece.

Rohit Sharma led India’s chase with a fiery knock of 76 off 83 balls, hitting seven fours and three sixes.

Hardik Pandya contributed 18, sharing a crucial 38-run partnership off 36 balls with KL Rahul for the sixth wicket.

Rahul remained unbeaten on 34, helping India reach 254/6 in 49 overs to seal victory — their fifth on the trot in the tournament.

This marks India’s third Champions Trophy title, having previously won it in 2013. India also shared the trophy with Sri Lanka in 2002 after a rain-affected two-day final, and were runners-up in 2017.

New Zealand, who won the Champions Trophy in 2000, are yet to secure another major limited-overs ICC trophy, with their sole triumph over India in the final in Nairobi.

India played all their matches in Dubai after the Indian government denied the team permission to visit hosts Pakistan due to security concerns.

India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, defeating Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in the group phase, followed by a win over Australia in the semifinal.

sa/mud