Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy admitted he didn't expect his campaign to turn out like it did as India experienced jubilation and euphoria after scripting a memorable win against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final in Dubai on Sunday.
A swift half-century from skipper Rohit Sharma, fine knocks by Shreyas Iyer and fine spells from spinners, in particular Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, helped an all-round India seal their third ICC Champions Trophy title, beating New Zealand by four wickets in Dubai on Sunday.
India skipper Rohit Sharma and his deputy Shubman Gill evoked a feeling of nostalgia by recreating the heroics of former batting maestros Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, becoming just the third pair to score a 100-plus opening stand in the final of the Champions Trophy.
During the final while chasing 252 runs, Indian skipper Rohit went hard on bowlers right from ball one, scoring 76 in 83 balls, with seven fours and three sixes. He scored his runs at a strike rate of 91.56.
Former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin clarified his statement about bringing mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy early in the attack against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final and slammed the trolls for misinterpreting his remark.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson will not take the field during India's innings in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final. Mark Chapman has been brought in as his replacement in the field, as per the official website of ICC.
During the final, Virat came to the crease after a 105-run partnership between skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill ended with Gill getting dismissed by Santner for 31 runs in 50 balls against a six, thanks to a brilliant catch from Glenn Phillips.
The Indian spin quartet, comprising Varun Chakravarthy (2/45), Kuldeep Yadav (2/40), Axar Patel (0/29), and Ravindra Jadeja (1/30), combined to take five wickets, conceding just 144 runs in 38 overs at an economy rate of 3.79. Their impressive performance left New Zealand struggling to gain
Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma was seen cheering for her husband, Indian star batter Virat Kohli, during India's match against New Zealand in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav unleashed a brilliant spin choke with two wickets while Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja played a great supporting role, restricting Kiwis to 251/7 at the end of 50 overs in the CT final, despite half-centuries from Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell.<