IND vs NZ: Now the accounts will be settled... India will take 25 years old revenge from New Zealand! Heart has been broken 3 times
The finalist teams of Champions Trophy 2025 have been decided. India and New Zealand will clash for the title of this mega event. This match will be held in Dubai on March 9. Team India will be eyeing to settle the 25-year-old account.
IND vs NZ Champions Trophy Final 2025: The final match will be played between India and New Zealand in Dubai on March 9 to win the title of Champions Trophy 2025.
The second semi-final match was played between New Zealand and South Africa at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. In this thrilling match, New Zealand defeated South Africa by 50 runs to make it to the final. India will now be eyeing to take revenge of 25 years from New Zealand in the blockbuster match to be held on March 9.
India lost the group match
In this tournament, India and New Zealand were in the same group. In the group match between the two teams, Rohit Sharma and company won.
India won this match held in Dubai by 44 runs. Now it faces the challenge of New Zealand in the final as well. Rohit's army will definitely be eyeing to settle the 25-year-old account. Along with this, the team will also take revenge for breaking the dream of winning two more ICC events.
A chance to settle 25 years old accounts
Actually, New Zealand and India teams clashed in the final of the Champions Trophy tournament (then ICC knockout event) in 2000.
The Indian team led by Sourav Ganguly had to face defeat in this match, due to which their dream of winning the first title was also shattered.
Ganguly played a captaincy innings and scored 117 runs in this match. At the same time, Sachin Tendulkar played an innings of 69 runs, but New Zealand won the match with two balls to spare due to the unbeaten century of Chris Cairns (102*).
The defeats of 2019 and 2021 still hurt
Apart from 2000, New Zealand has given deep wounds to India twice more. In the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup, New Zealand was the team that defeated India and knocked them out of the tournament.
Even today, Indian fans' hearts ache remembering Dhoni's runout in the match. However, India took revenge for this in the 2023 World Cup, when the Kiwi team was defeated in the semi-finals.
In 2021, the Indian team was very close to winning another ICC trophy, but then New Zealand became a hurdle in the way. Actually, India had made it to the final of the 2021 World Test Championship. This team captained by Virat Kohli was defeated by New Zealand by 8 wickets and its dream of winning the title was shattered.