Champions Trophy 2025 Final: Three Key moments which were crucial for India's Victory

March 9, 2025 must have put some ointment to the pain of November 19, 2023 - as the Indian team has clinched the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with a fantastic victory over New Zealand in the final.

Rohit Sharma and his troops secured a superb victory by 4 wickets to clinch India's third Champions Trophy title, their first ICC title in 50-over cricket since 2013.

At the Dubai International Stadium, India restricted the Black Caps for 251 runs after Mitchell Santner opted to bat first. In the run chase, India captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill provided a strong start, but after a few wickets, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel steered the ship. At the latter stages, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya guided them to a stellar win.

It was a complete team effort from the Men in Blue, who had multiple performers across all departments. Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav stifled the Kiwis with their spin, while during the chase, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas and others played pivotal roles.

It was a proper humdinger in Dubai, but there were a few moments which helped India to secure their bid for the championship. Here are three underrated contributions/moments which turned the tide in India's favour-

Varun Chakravarthy picking Glenn Phillips' wicket

Varun Chakravarthy was outstanding for India with 2 wickets, but the mystery spinner's wicket of Glenn Phillips was crucial. The Kiwis were on course to a big finish as they were 165 for 4 in the 38th over. Both Phillips and Daryl Mitchell were set and added 57 runs for the fifth wicket. But Varun bamboozled Phillips and got the crucial wicket by castling him, which curbed their score in the latter stages. Given Phillips' batting prowess, he was a set batter at 34 and the wicket was crucial for India.

Shreyas Iyer's gritty Knock

Shreyas Iyer played a fantastic knock yet again. The India batter came at a tricky stage when India had lost two quick wickets. Rohit Sharma also departed soon after his arrival, but Shreyas kept his attacking mindset and chipped in with boundaries during his knock. Iyer ended up scoring 48 off just 62 balls and his gritty display laid the foundation for KL Rahul and company.

KL Rahul and his Calm Head

KL Rahul, the omnipotent Indian player, lived up to expectations again. Rahul has had a decent Champions Trophy but on the finale, his calm demeanour was imperative for India. With 69 required in 68 balls when he came at the crease, Rahul took matters in his own hands and played a composed knock. The 32-year-old remained unbeaten on 33 runs to steer India to victory.