India has shown a tremendous performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 series. They defeated New Zealand by 44 runs to top Group A. With this, India will face Australia in the semi-final to be held in Dubai on Tuesday.
Key Events
India Shaky Start
India played under great pressure right from the beginning of the match. They scored just 30 runs in the first 10 overs. They lost 3 wickets in that time.
- Virat Kohli was dismissed after scoring only 11 runs.
- Captain Rohit Sharma was dismissed after scoring 15 runs.
If you look at this, it is clear that India was put in a very difficult position right from the beginning.
Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel partnership
At this crucial moment, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel put on 98 runs to rescue India.
- Axar Patel scored 42 runs. This included 4 fours.
Their amazing partnership helped stabilize India’s innings.
Hardik Pandya’s Final Action
India needed to score maximum runs in the last 5 overs.
- Then Hardik Pandya showed his usual aggressive batting.
- He scored 45 runs. This included 4 fours and 2 sixes.
- He attacked the New Zealand bowlers to the point where they stood still in the last overs.
- His fast play helped India increase its score to 249/9.
From an early crunch situation for India, Shreyas’ performance and the contributions of Axar-Hardik took India to a respectable score.
New Zealand Team Innings Description
Devon Conway scored 48 runs. His game gave New Zealand a good start. Daryl Mitchell scored 44 runs. He also played well and contributed significantly to the team.
That is, even though these two played well, the New Zealand team had difficulty due to the pressure of the Indian bowlers.
READ MORE: Ramalan Sehri Time and Time Table 2025
Semi Final Schedule and Controversy
India vs Australia
Date: Tuesday
Venue: Dubai
Time: 7:30 PM IST
New Zealand vs South Africa
Date: Wednesday
Venue: Lahore (Pakistan)
Time: 3:30 PM IST
Controversy
India refused to play in Pakistan. All of India’s matches are being played in Dubai as the Indian team refused to play in Pakistan due to security concerns. This arrangement had been made for India earlier.
Australia and South Africa played their group matches in Pakistan. However, Australia had to travel from Pakistan to Dubai to play against India in the semi-final. Similarly, South Africa had to return to Pakistan for its semi-final.
Reason for the Controversy
Since the venue for India’s game was previously fixed as Dubai, the other teams had to come to Dubai to play against India regardless of where they were playing. Some have called this an unfair arrangement, while others have called it a decision taken for security reasons, which has led to controversy.
Key Results of the Match
- India has won all three of its group matches. With this, it has topped Group A. The Indian team has not lost a single match. A complete win record.
- New Zealand has won two of the three matches.
They lost one match (to India).
As a result, they finished second in Group A.
Players and Coach’s Opinion
Rohit Sharma’s Opinion
Rohit admits that New Zealand is a strong and challenging team and he praised Varun Chakravarthy (bowling) and Shreyas Iyer (scoring) for their excellent performance in this match. Rohit says that it will be a tough match as they have to play against Australia in the next semi-final.
Kane Williamson’s Opinion
Kane Williamson agrees that the Indian team played well in this match. But he also expresses his desire and confidence to face South Africa in the semi-final. “We will put this defeat behind us and play well in the next match and win,” he said.