India and New Zealand are forces to reckon with in ICC tournaments, however, they have ended on the wrong end many times in the recent past. One of them will get the silverware, the other one will have to bear. Champions Trophy 2025 awaits its champion as favourites collide in Dubai.
India have been here before. A dream run in an ICC tournament is not a rare thing for the Men in Blue. What is rare is the fairytale end to a dream run.
India somehow got that fairytale ending in the T20 World Cup 2024 after snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat against South Africa. That day ended India’s 17-year-long wait for a T20 World title. This one can end one for a 50-over crown after 12 years.
12 years from when India registered a famous win in Edgbaston with their backs against the walls with MS Dhoni‘s men outclassing England to win their first outright Champions Trophy title. 12 years from when India last got their hands on an ICC ODI title.
So much water has passed under the bridge since then. India have had several heartbreaks in ODIs. Four, to be precise. The 2015 dream run was halted in the semifinal by the Australian juggernaut, the 2017 was ended by Pakistan in a shock in the final.
India were among the favourites in those two and were in the next two too, however, the fairytale end went missing. It was the New Zealand side that broke India’s hearts in 2019 with scenes afresh of MS Dhoni trudging back with a tear or two in his eyes in the semifinal.
Ditto in 2023 when one of the strongest-ever Indian teams went trophy-less after winning 10 matches in a home World Cup, unscathed till they met an Australian side yet in the final.
They were unscathed in the T20 World Cup 2024 too but found the perfect ending that they were looking for this time after having almost lost it. They are unscathed in the Champions Trophy 2025 till now too.
India and New Zealand are the giants of ICC tournaments now. The Men in Blue have been part of knockouts 12 out of 14 times in ICC events since 2011, while the Kiwis have been for eight times.
The only times the Men in Blue missed out on the semifinals during this period was in the T20 World Cups in 2012 and 2021. They have never missed the knockouts in ICC ODI events since 2011. However, after making knockouts 12 times, the Men in Blue have only three trophies to show for it. New Zealand have just one, which came against India in the World Test Championship 2021 final.
These two are the best teams in Champions Trophy 2025, however, only one of them get the silverware. The other one will have to bear another heartbreak. D-day has arrived and Rohit and his co. are looking to find the lost fairytale end to their dream run as Champions Trophy awaits its Champion.
