A Thriller Unfolds in Dubai – India Needs 252 for Champions Trophy Glory

Dubai (Uttam Hindu News): In the final match of the Champions Trophy 2025, being played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, New Zealand has set a challenging target of 252 runs for India. Winning the toss and opting to bat first, New Zealand scored 251 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their allotted 50 overs.

New Zealand had a slow start, but the middle order saw crucial contributions from Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips. Mitchell played a solid knock, scoring 63 runs off 70 balls, while Phillips added 34 runs off 37 balls.

However, the highlight of New Zealand’s innings was Michael Bracewell, who played a brilliant innings and scored his maiden ODI half-century. Bracewell remained unbeaten on 53 runs off 40 balls, hitting 3 fours and 2 sixes. His aggressive batting helped New Zealand accelerate in the final overs, pushing their total beyond 250 runs. The team added 50 runs in the last five overs.

Indian bowlers had a mixed performance. Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja bowled economically while also taking crucial wickets.

Now, India needs 252 runs to win the Champions Trophy 2025 title. All eyes are now on the Indian batting lineup to see if they can successfully chase down this challenging target.

India’s Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami.

New Zealand’s Playing XI: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (WK), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (C), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, William O’Rourke.