India and New Zealand are set to clash in a major tournament final in white-ball cricket for the first time in 25 years. New Zealand secured their place in the Champions Trophy 2025 final with a dominant performance against South Africa in the second semi-final in Lahore on Wednesday. The Black Caps will now face familiar rivals India in the grand finale on Sunday in Dubai.
India became the first team to book their spot in the final after defeating Australia by four wickets in Dubai on Tuesday. New Zealand, who lost their last Group A match against India, will now have the opportunity to avenge that defeat when they take on Rohit Sharma and his men at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
India and New Zealand have met twice before in ICC tournament finals. The last time they faced each other in a title match was in the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final in Southampton, where a Kane Williamson-led New Zealand outclassed India by eight wickets in a rain-affected contest that stretched over six days.
Interestingly, the last time these two teams played in a white-ball tournament final was in the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy in Nairobi. On that occasion, New Zealand defeated India by four wickets to secure their first ICC title.
India vs New Zealand in ICC Tournament Finals
- 2000 ICC Knockout Final – Winner: New Zealand
- 2021 ICC World Test Championship Final: Winner New Zealand
When Chris Cairns broke India’s heart
India, led by Sourav Ganguly, posted 264/6 in 50 overs, with Ganguly scoring 117 and Sachin Tendulkar adding 69. India appeared poised for a bigger total, but the middle order, comprising Rahul Dravid, Vinod Kambli, and Yuvraj Singh, failed to capitalise.
New Zealand, captained by Stephen Fleming, successfully chased the target, thanks to Chris Cairns’ unbeaten 102 off 113 balls. Cairns played a match-winning knock despite battling injuries.
Since then, New Zealand have not won a global white-ball title in men’s cricket. They came close in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups but stumbled at the final hurdle.
Will Sunday be their day? Can they trouble the mighty Indian team in Dubai?
Just last week, India dismantled New Zealand, bowling them out for 205 and successfully defending a target of 249 in Dubai. Varun Chakravarthy took five wickets in his first match of the tournament as India’s spinners ran through New Zealand’s batting order. Shreyas Iyer starred with the bat, scoring 79 runs.
However, New Zealand will take confidence from their inspired performance against South Africa, who were knocked out despite finishing top of Group B. Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson hit centuries in Lahore, while Mitchell Santner led a dominant display with the ball. Santner claimed three wickets, while Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips took two each to stifle South Africa’s chase with spin.
Despite David Miller’s valiant 100, New Zealand secured a comfortable 50-run victory.
It was another disappointing end to an otherwise impressive campaign for South Africa, as they bowed out following their first defeat of the tournament. IndiaToday