India defeated New Zealand by 44 runs in their third and last group-stage ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match. With this victory, the Men in Blue topped Group A and will face Australia in the semi-final on March 4. Indian spinners were unplayable and didn’t allow the Kiwi batters to get set. Chasing 250 runs to win, the Mitchell Santner-led team was bowled out for 250 runs in 45.3 overs. Varun Chakravarthy, who was playing his first match in the tournament, took five wickets.

The other spinners, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja, also chipped in with crucial wickets. Kane Williamson was the only New Zealand batter who played well, scoring 81 runs off 120 balls, with the help of 7 fours. Earlier, the Men in Blue struggled in the batting department, with only Shreyas Iyer (79) amassing a fifty-plus score.

Hardik Pandya (45) and Axar Patel (42), the two all-rounders, contributed to the batting department. Matt Henry claimed 5 wickets to strict India to 249/9 in 50 overs.

South Africa will play against New Zealand in the second semi-final on March 5 in Lahore.

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