The Indian cricket team shattered multiple world records with their 44-run triumph over New Zealand in the 2025 Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium. The victory ensured India finished atop Group A, maintaining a perfect record with three wins from three matches.
Before the game, India made a bold selection choice by bringing in Varun Chakravarthy in place of Harshit Rana, opting for a spin-heavy attack. With four frontline spinners, Mohammed Shami stood as the only specialist pacer, while Hardik Pandya took on additional bowling responsibilities for the first time in the tournament.
Defending a modest total of 249, India’s spinners completely dominated New Zealand. Varun delivered a sensational five-wicket haul in just his second ODI, while Kuldeep Yadav claimed two crucial scalps. Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel chipped in with a wicket each, and Hardik dismissed Rachin Ravindra, the only wicket to fall to pace.
New Zealand’s collapse, where nine of their wickets fell to spin, was unprecedented in Champions Trophy history. Previously, Pakistan held the record for most wickets taken by spinners in an innings, with eight against Kenya in the 2004 edition at Edgbaston. Shahid Afridi’s 5/11 in that match remains the best bowling figures in tournament history.
This performance also equalled India’s best-ever ODI display by spinners, having taken nine wickets in an innings on four prior occasions. The tally ranks second in ICC ODI events, only behind Zimbabwe, whose spinners took all ten wickets against Canada in the 2011 World Cup at Nagpur.
Out of India’s 45.3 overs on Sunday, 37.3 were bowled by spinners, with Shami and Hardik delivering just four overs each. This marked the second-most overs bowled by spinners in a Champions Trophy innings, behind Sri Lanka’s 39.4 overs against Australia in 2002 at Colombo. Only twice in ODI history have India bowled more overs of spin in an innings.
Varun’s five-wicket haul made India the first team to register two five-wicket hauls in a single Champions Trophy edition, following Mohammed Shami’s feat against Bangladesh in the opener. Both also became the oldest players to claim a five-for on their tournament debut.
In the India-New Zealand clash, Matt Henry matched Varun’s figures (5-43), making it the first game in Champions Trophy history with two five-wicket hauls. Henry also became the first player to achieve this in a losing cause.