In a crucial Group A match of the Champions Trophy 2025, India won by 44 runs against New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. The victory put India at the top of Group A, positioning them for a semi-final showdown against Australia, while New Zealand will play South Africa in the other semi-final.
Batting first, India managed a score of 249/9 in their given 50 overs. Shreyas Iyer had a valuable innings of 79 runs, and was given useful support from Axar Patel, who chipped in 42 runs. Hardik Pandya chipped in with a quick 45 runs off 45 balls to take India into a respectable score. New Zealand pacer Matt Henry was the best bowler, taking stupendous figures of 5-42 in his third five-wicket haul in One Day Internationals.
As a response, New Zealand were bowled out for 205 runs in 45.3 overs. The innings was held together by the captain Kane Williamson with a dogged 81 off 120 balls. The spinners from India ran amok, however, with Varun Chakaravarthy producing a match-winning performance with 5-42 on his Champions Trophy debut. Kuldeep Yadav too played a huge role, claiming 2-56, clinically tearing apart the batting order of New Zealand.
In the future, India will play Australia in the first semi-final on Tuesday in Dubai, a repeat of the 2023 ODI World Cup final. New Zealand will play South Africa in the second semi-final at Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday, and both teams are to fly to Lahore on Monday.
This win not only highlights India's supremacy in the group stages but also paves the way for an electrifying semi-final draw in the Champions Trophy 2025.
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