India trounce New Zealand by 4 wickets to clinch third Champions Trophy title

Skipper Rohit Sharma led by example with an excellent half-century as India outplayed New Zealand by four wickets in a thrilling summit clash in Dubai on Sunday to clinch the Champions Trophy title for the record third time.

Rohit, who made 76 off 83 balls, struck seven fours and three sixes, during his stay in the middle as India chased down a modest target of 252 runs with one over remaining.

Shreyas Iyer also shone with the bat hitting 48 runs off 62 balls.

The Indian side had some anxious moments when they lost two wickets after being well paced at 183 for three. However, K.L. Rahul (34 not out off 33 balls), showing great composure, slowly brought his team back on track.

Earlier, opting to bat, New Zealand were restricted to 251/7 with the Indian bowlers, especially the spinners Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) and Varun Chakaravarthy (2/45), producing a clinical performance in the title clash.

Mitchell top-scored for New Zealand with 63 from 101 balls, while Michael Bracewell, Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips contributed 53 not out, 37 and 34 respectively. 

India, who were the chamapions in 2002 and 2013, won the trophy this time without losing even a single match, reflecting their dominance.

"An exceptional game and an exceptional result," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said as he hailed the Indian team for their victory.

"Proud of our cricket team for bringing home the ICC Champions Trophy. They've played wonderfully through the tournament. Congratulations to our team for the splendid all around display," Modi wrote on X.