ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Final Showdown Between India and New Zealand
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has finally arrived at its pinnacle, with India and New Zealand being scheduled to face off against one another in the final.
New Zealand’s Semi-Final Victory: On March 5, 2025, New Zealand qualified for the final as they beat South Africa by 50 runs. Rachin Ravindra’s and Kane Williamson’s centuries steered New Zealand to a giant total of 362-6. Though there was a fierce fight from South Africa, capped by an undefeated 100 from David Miller, they were not enough, finishing at 312-9 in their innings.
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India’s Road to the Final: India made their way to the final following a four-wicket win over Australia in the semi-finals. They chased down the target of 264 with 11 balls still remaining, a well-balanced performance both bat and ball-wise.
Steve Smith Retires from ODIs
In a major development, Australia’s Steve Smith has announced his retirement from One-Day International (ODI) cricket after Australia’s defeat against India in the semi-finals. Smith, who was 35, finished his ODI career with 5,800 runs at a rate of 43.28, with 12 centuries to his name. He will remain available for Test and T20 formats.
Rohit Sharma’s Historic Captaincy Feat
India’s skipper, Rohit Sharma, has created a phenomenal record by becoming the first skipper in cricket history who has guided his team to finals of all ICC events within three years.
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India’s Coin Toss Streak
A rare record has been reported with the Indian cricket team losing 14 successive coin tosses, a run that started in the 2023 Cricket World Cup final. In spite of this, India has continued to play well, as can be seen from their recent wins.
