New Delhi: Kuldeep Yadav redeemed himself with a sensational spell in the Champions Trophy 2025 final between India and New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, 9 March. The Kiwis got off to a great start after opting to bat first in the final. Rachin Ravindra and Will Young forged a 50-run partnership for the opening wicket.
Both the openers were batting brilliantly but Kuldeep produced a moment of magic in the very first delivery of his spell. He bowls a googly to Ravindra, who fails to pick it and goes on the back foot to play it. He misses the ball completely as it goes through the bat-pad gap.
Kuldeep picked up his second wicket in the very next over. He bowls a full delivery on the middle stump, and Williamson gets forward to push but fails to keep the ball down, and Kuldeep takes a simple catch as the Men in Blue made a stunning comeback in the game.
New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry was ruled out of the final as he failed to recover from the shoulder injury he suffered during the semi-final against South Africa. His absence forced New Zealand to make a change in their playing XI, with Nathan Smith coming in as his replacement. Despite the big setback, the Kiwis remained hopeful of containing India’s strong batting line-up.
New Zealand (Playing XI): Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Kyle Jamieson, William ORourke, Nathan Smith.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Kl Rahul (W), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mhammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.
