During the India versus New Zealand Champions Trophy 2025 match, Varun Chakravarthy delivered a stellar bowling performance, claiming five wickets and helping India secure a 44-run victory. This win came despite India setting a modest target of 250 runs. However, a fielding miscue by Chakravarthy became a talking point when he failed to stop a ball, resulting in four runs for New Zealand.
The incident occurred in the third over. Hardik Pandya was bowling to Will Young, who directed the ball towards mid-on. Chakravarthy attempted a catch but missed, and the ball then deflected off his leg and crossed the boundary. Hardik Pandya was visibly stunned, hiding his face, while Virat Kohli and other Indian players expressed their shock at the error.
Earlier in the match, New Zealand’s Matt Henry impressed with his fast bowling, taking 5 wickets for 42 runs. This was Henry’s third five-wicket haul in 50-over cricket. His performance restricted India to 249 runs for 9 wickets in their allotted 50 overs in the final Group A match of the Champions Trophy 2025, played in Dubai. New Zealand’s decision to bowl first paid off as they effectively utilized the pitch conditions to pressure the Indian batting lineup. Shreyas Iyer played a crucial innings of 79 runs, supported by Axar Patel who scored 42, to recover India from an early batting collapse. Hardik Pandya contributed a run-a-ball 45, ensuring India reached a competitive score.
Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson exploited the favorable conditions for fast bowlers, challenging the Indian batsmen with seam and swing. Despite Rohit Sharma hitting Henry for a four and a six, Henry responded by dismissing Shubman Gill with an inswinging delivery, trapping him leg before wicket for just two runs.
Jamieson then joined in, dismissing Rohit Sharma, who mistimed a pull shot and was caught at midwicket for 15. Virat Kohli began his innings with two fortunate boundaries in his 300th ODI match. However, his innings was cut short at 11 runs when Glenn Phillips took an outstanding catch at backward point off Henry’s bowling, leaving India at 37 for 3 after the first powerplay.
New Zealand’s spinners found significant turn, and India went through a period of 51 balls without scoring a boundary until Axar Patel swept Mitchell Santner in the 16th over. Following this, Shreyas Iyer hit three boundaries off William O’Rourke in one over.
Iyer reached his 22nd ODI half-century in 75 balls, while Axar Patel attacked Michael Bracewell’s off-spin, hitting him for two fours and a six. Their 98-run partnership ended when Axar Patel was caught at backward square leg off Rachin Ravindra’s bowling for 42 runs.
KL Rahul began his innings with a four off Ravindra. Iyer continued to score effectively, hitting a six each off Ravindra and O’Rourke. However, in the 37th over, Iyer was dismissed for 79, caught at short mid-wicket after mistiming a pull shot against O’Rourke.
Three overs later, Rahul was out for 23, edging a delivery from Santner to Tom Latham behind the wickets. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja accelerated the scoring, hitting Bracewell for a six and a four respectively. Pandya then hit another boundary off O’Rourke.
Hardik Pandya continued to score, hitting a strong boundary off Henry. Henry later dismissed Jadeja, caught by Kane Williamson at backward point. New Zealand’s accurate bowling kept Hardik Pandya quiet until the 49th over, where he hit Jamieson for two fours and a six, scoring 15 runs. However, Henry dismissed both Pandya and Mohammed Shami in the final over, completing his five-wicket haul and restricting India to 249 runs.
Brief scores: India 249/9 in 50 overs (Shreyas Iyer 79, Hardik Pandya 45; Matt Henry 5-42) versus New Zealand.
