India Clinches ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Ending 12-Year Wait
India's Triumph in ICC Champions Trophy 2025
In a remarkable achievement, India secured the ICC Champions Trophy title in 2025, marking the end of a 12-year drought. This victory took place in Dubai, following their decision to abstain from traveling to Pakistan. Just a year prior, India celebrated their first ICC title in a decade with a win at the 2024 T20 World Cup held in the USA and the Caribbean.
The last time India lifted the ICC Champions Trophy was in 2013 under MS Dhoni's captaincy. They reached the finals again in 2017 but faced a defeat against their rivals, Pakistan, at The Oval in London.
Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, India kicked off their Champions Trophy 2025 journey with a solid six-wicket victory over Bangladesh. Mohammed Shami was the standout performer with the ball, taking five wickets and limiting Bangladesh to 228 runs. Shubman Gill then scored an impressive century, leading India to chase down the target of 229 comfortably.
In their second group match, India faced Pakistan, bowling them out for 241 runs in 49.4 overs. Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets, while Hardik Pandya contributed with two. Virat Kohli shone with the bat, scoring an unbeaten century, his 51st in ODIs, as India chased down the target in just 42.3 overs, securing a six-wicket win and eliminating the defending champions from the tournament.
Following their two convincing victories, the 'Men in Blue' took a short break before facing New Zealand in their final group match.
The 'Black Caps' proved to be a challenging opponent, restricting India's star-studded batting lineup to 249/9 in 50 overs, with Matt Henry claiming five wickets. However, India fought back with their mystery spinner, Varun Chakaravarthy, who took five wickets, bowling New Zealand out for 205 in 45.3 overs, leading India to a 44-run victory and finishing unbeaten in the group stage, topping Group A.
In the semi-finals, India faced the formidable Australian team.
Mohammed Shami took three wickets, while Varun Chakaravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja each claimed two wickets, bowling Australia out for 264 runs in 49.3 overs. Steven Smith scored 73, and Alex Carey contributed 61 runs.
As in the previous matches, India successfully chased down the target, with Virat Kohli being the top scorer, making 84 runs off 98 balls, leading India to a four-wicket victory and securing a spot in the final, avenging their loss in the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup final.
In the final, India faced New Zealand for the second time in the tournament. Batting first, New Zealand posted 251/7 in 50 overs, with Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell both scoring half-centuries. Rohit Sharma found his rhythm in the final, scoring 76 runs off 83 balls, supported by Shreyas Iyer with 48 runs and KL Rahul, who remained not out on 34. India successfully chased down the target in 49 overs, winning by four wickets.
With this victory, India lifted the ICC Champions Trophy for the second time. Rohit Sharma celebrated his second ICC title as captain and fourth overall as a player. His first ICC title as a player was in the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup, while his first as captain came in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup.
Rohit Sharma now joins MS Dhoni as the only Indian captain to have won multiple ICC titles in white-ball cricket.