India celebrate after winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand.Photo: AP India celebrate after winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand.Photo: AP

For a tournament punctuated by as clinical a victorious campaign as India dished out999kkg, the build up to Champions Trophy's 2025 edition was remarkably chaotic. (Final Highlights | Full Coverage | More Cricket News)

Months of uncertainty, geopolitically-charged negotiations and the International Cricket Council's (ICC) fervent mediation preceded the final shape and form the event took. Buzzwords like 'hybrid model', 'security concerns' and under-construction stadia held centrestage as Pakistan's bid to solely host the 50-over showpiece expectedly failed.

The drama began well before the impasse around India's travel to Pakistan sprouted, as the ICC sprung a surprise in the middle of the 2023 ODI World Cup in October. It was announced that the top seven sides at the end of the Cup's league stage would qualify for the Champions Trophy alongside hosts Pakistan, and thus began a scramble to avoid ending up in the final two.

After a disastrous campaign in India, Jos Buttler's England just about managed to qualify, though that didn't amount to much as they eventually crashed out spectacularly, slumping to their seventh straight ODI defeat in the process. Buttler resigned as England's white-ball skipper, leaving Harry Brook as his most likely successor, though the charismatic Ben Stokes' name was also thrown in the mix.

While it doesn't bear the same sheen as a World Cup, the Champions Trophy is certainly the next best thing when it comes to ODI cricket. A statesman like Virat Kohli has pointed out the higher-intensity competition the eight-team tournament offers, and the victors' donning of traditional white blazers adds to the elite hue and legacy.

Seen in this context, Pakistan's multifold disappointment at the end of the event is painfully apparent. As the tournament wore on, the woes kept compounding for Mohammad Rizwan's Men In Green, their supporters as well as the cricket board (PCB).

First, they were denied sole hosting rights as Dubai entered the picture. Then, arch-rivals India notched up a comprehensive win against them, and New Zealand proceeded to knock them out of semi-finals reckoning. Just like that, the hosts-cum-defending champions were shown the door in the group stage for the third successive ICC event after the ODI and T20 World Cups.

Shah urged voters to "defeat the dynasties" of the Abdullahs, Gandhis and the Muftis,fef777 Cassinos ao Vivo Brasil alleging that terrorism thrived under their rule.

The manifesto was released by AICC chief spokesperson Pawan Khera and PCC president Tariq Hameed Karra at the party office in Srinagar.

To add insult to injury, Pakistan did not have any representative on the podium for the closing ceremony in Dubai, as the ICC did not invite a PCB official on stage. "India has won the Champions Trophy but I noticed there was no representative from the PCB after the final. Pakistan was hosting the Champions Trophy. I do not understand it," legendary fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar wondered in a video posted on 'X'.

This is literally beyond my understanding. How can this be done???#championstrophy2025 pic.twitter.com/CPIUgevFj9

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) March 9, 2025

In sharp contrast to their neighbours' turmoil, India hardly put a foot wrong from start to finish. Such was the team balance and cumulative skill level of Rohit Sharma's men that not once did they come close to losing through the course of the tournament.

Despite dropping four (regulation) catches and losing batting mainstay Virat Kohli cheaply in the closely contested final, India never really gave up control of the match. There was an air of inevitability about the victory, which was completed with a majestic pull into the deep square leg boundary by the 36-year-old Ravindra Jadeja.

Different heroes emerged at different stages. Mohammed Shami and Shubman Gill set the tone with a fifer and an unbeaten hundred, respectively in the opener, and Kohli came to the party as only he can, with an imperious ton versus Pakistan. It was then the turn of mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy to befuddle trans-Tasman batters with his bag of tricks, snaring nine wickets across three crucial games played against New Zealand and Australia.

In the final, when the team needed it the most, captain Rohit fired, his batting belying the perceived pressure of a title clash. The skipper smashed a game-changing 76 off 83 balls at the top of the order to lay a sound foundation for India's chase of BlackCaps' 252-run target. His 105-run opening partnership with Gill won half the battle for the Gautam Gambhir-coached side, which won by four wickets to bring home the Champions Trophy for the third time.

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An exceptional game and an exceptional result! 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 round display.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 9, 2025

This near-invincible campaign was not a one-off. Here is a sampler of India's utter dominance in ICC limited-overs events in recent times: they have won 23 out of 24 matches in the last three ICC tournaments - the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2024 T20 WC and now the Champions Trophy. The only defeat was against Australia in the 2023 World Cup final.

Did this triumph do enough to heal the wounds of November 19999kkg, 2023? Perhaps not. But it certainly showed how dangerous this side can be, come the 2027 World Cup.