India cemented their position at the top of Group B in the Champions Trophy 2025 by defeating New Zealand by 44 runs in their final group game. With this victory, India will now face Australia in the semi-final. The team made one change to their playing XI, with Varun Chakravarthy replacing Harshit Rana. Playing his debut match in the Champions Trophy, Chakravarthy emerged as the standout performer for India, securing a historic five-wicket haul as New Zealand were bowled out for 205.
### Varun Chakravarthy Creates History
Varun Chakravarthy made history by taking a five-wicket haul in just his second ODI appearance. He becomes the fastest Indian player to achieve this milestone, surpassing Stuart Binny’s record, who picked 6/4 against Bangladesh in 2014 in just his third ODI.
### Varun Chakravarthy’s Impactful Performance
Chakravarthy’s exceptional performance saw him picking up the wickets of Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, and Matt Henry, finishing with impressive figures of 5/42. This achievement marks the third instance of an Indian bowler taking a five-wicket haul in the Champions Trophy. He also secured the second-best figures by an Indian in the competition’s history. Here are the best figures for Indian players in Champions Trophy history:
– *5/36*: Ravindra Jadeja vs West Indies (2013)
– *5/42*: Varun Chakravarthy vs New Zealand (2025)
– *5/53*: Mohammed Shami vs Bangladesh (2025)
– *4/38*: Sachin Tendulkar vs Australia (1998)
– *4/45*: Zaheer Khan vs Zimbabwe (2002)
Chakravarthy joins an elite list, becoming the third bowler after Josh Hazlewood and Mohammed Shami to take a five-wicket haul on their Champions Trophy debut.
### Player of the Match
Varun Chakravarthy was awarded the Player of the Match for his outstanding performance. He revealed that he got to know about his selection on Saturday night, and although he felt nervous initially, his teammates Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Hardik Pandya helped calm his nerves. “First of all, I did feel nervous in the initial stages. I have not played many matches for India in the ODI format, but as the game went on, I felt better. Virat, Rohit, Shreyas, and Hardik were talking to me, and that helped,” said Chakravarthy. “I found out last night (that I was playing). I was definitely expecting to play for the country, but on the other side, I was nervous. It was not a rank turner, but if you bowled in the right places, it was giving help. The way Kuldeep, Jaddu, and Axar bowled, even the pace bowlers, it was a total team effort.”
India’s performance in the Champions Trophy 2025 continues to impress, and Varun Chakravarthy’s historic achievement adds to the team’s momentum as they prepare to face Australia in the semi-final.
Stay tuned for further updates on the Champions Trophy 2025 and India’s journey in the tournament.
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