The Men in Blue defeated the Kiwis in the final by four wickets with six balls to spare

Indian men’s cricket may be struggling at the moment, but there’s no doubt that they have tasted several crucial victories in 2025. Out of many, the most important one was undoubtedly the ICC Champions Trophy that the Men in Blue lifted early in the year on March 9, 2025. As the year 2025 is nearing an end, let us revisit India’s journey through the tournament.

Group stage

The Men in Blue were put in Group A against New Zealand, Bangladesh, and PAK. India’s campaign started on February 20 against Bangladesh, and the match should’ve been an effortless win, as Indian bowlers put a grip on Bangla batters.

However, Tawhid Hridoy turned out to be a chapter out of the syllabus, scoring 100 runs, whereas Jaker Ali added another 68, helping Bangladesh post 228. Fortunately, India’s star-studded line-up did not falter, as Shubman Gill scored 101 runs and guided India to a victory.

(Credit- Mashable)

India’s next match was against PAK on February 23, which the Men in Blue easily won, having reduced PAK to 241 runs, whereas Virat Kohli’s century helped chase the target in merely 42.3 overs.

The final group stage game witnessed India and New Zealand clash against each other, with India emerging as the winner, securing six points in the table with a net run rate of +0.715.

Semi-final vs. Australia

The semi-final match was of greater importance to India because, for the Men in Blue, it was all about taking revenge for the defeat they had suffered at the hands of the Aussies in the final of the ICC World Cup 2023. Batting first, Australia posted a decent target of 264 runs. Fortunately, the Indian batting line-up did not stutter, with several players rising to the occasion.

(Credit- Outlook India)

Captain Rohit Sharma added 28 runs, followed by Virat Kohli, who scored a brilliant 84, whereas Shreyas Iyer scored another 45 runs. Down the order, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, and Hardik Pandya also scored 27, 42, and 28 runs, respectively, to chase down the target.

A collective effort helped India heal its wounds, as it defeated Australia in the knockout game of an ICC tournament.

A second dance with the Kiwis

Having won the group stage game against New Zealand, a confident Indian side once again stopped the Kiwis from scoring big, restricting their batters to 251 runs in 50 overs.

(Credit- NDTV Sports)

In response, Rohit Sharma played a true captain’s knock in the final, scoring 76, followed by a 48 by Iyer, 29 from Patel, and 34 off Rahul’s willow. India chased down the target in 49 overs with four wickets in hand, becoming the champions of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

India started the year with this trophy, followed by their ninth Asia Cup victory, whereas the Indian women’s side lifted their maiden ICC Women’s World Cup.