KL Rahul spent the nervy time on the pitch and led India to the Champions Trophy 2025 title after beating New Zealand in the thrilling final at the Dubai International cricket stadium on March 9.
India win Champions Trophy 2025 title
The undefeated India had the last laugh as they defeated New Zealand by four wickets to end their 12-year-long Champions Trophy drought and grab their hands on their back-to-back ICC title after T20 World Cup 2024 title triumph. Rohit Sharma's composed innings of 76 runs from 83 balls anchored India's chase, while crucial contributions from Shreyas Iyer (48) and KL Rahul (34). Rahul provided essential support. India successfully chased down the target of 252 runs in 49 overs.
New Zealand's innings was built on Daryl Mitchell's solid 63 runs, which provided a foundation for their total. Michael Bracewell's aggressive late surge, scoring an unbeaten 53 runs off 40 balls, pushed the Kiwis to a competitive total. However, it wasn't enough to stop the Indian team.
India's triumph in the final capped off an undefeated tournament run, with the team winning all five of their matches. This victory secured India's third Champions Trophy title, establishing them as the most successful team in the tournament's history, surpassing Australia's previous record.
Emotional KL Rahul left speechless after India's historic win
Meanwhile, Rahul was at loss for words after India's historic Champions Trophy title win. He admitted he was nervous at the crucial juncture of the game but also mentioned that he had the belief to steer India to the finishing line.
"Not sure I can say this on air but I was s****** myself. As confident as I could be that I could get over the line. Keeping composure is all that matters, happy to have done it this time. I've batted in times like this in three out of the five games. Hard to put in words, but the team has pure skill. The way we've all had to play cricket growing up, we faced pressure from the time we became professional cricketers. The BCCI have groomed all of them and we've challenging ourselves to get better," KL Rahul said after India's Champions Trophy title win.
This win marked India's seventh ICC title.