India vs New Zealand, 2025 Champions Trophy: 3 moments that generated buzz among fans in Match 12 ft. Varun Chakravarthy

India and New Zealand squared off in match number 12 of the ongoing 2025 Champions Trophy on Sunday, March 2. The Men in Blue secured a comprehensive 44-run victory, finishing the group stage as unbeaten.

The Blackcaps won the toss and elected to field first. India found themselves in a precarious position, losing their top-order early. Then Shreyas Iyer and all-rounder Axar Patel led a rescue act for their team with a crucial 98-partnership for the fourth wicket.

Iyer was the top scorer for the Indian team in the match, scoring 79 runs in 98 balls. Hardik Pandya also chipped in with an important 45-run knock in as many deliveries, while Axar contributed 42 runs from 61 balls.

The Men in Blue ultimately finished 249/9 after 50 overs. New Zealand pacer Matt Henry picked up a brilliant five-wicket haul, becoming the first bowler to do so against India in the tournament's history. He claimed the wickets of Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Hardik, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Shami.

Hardik drew first blood for Team India with the ball, sending back previous match's centurion Rachin Ravindra in the fourth over. The Indian spinners dominated the proceedings from thereon.

Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, playing just in his second ODI game, bagged a stunning fifer. Kane Williamson was the lone warrior for New Zealand. The former skipper played a fighting 81-run knock in 120 balls.

The Kiwis were bundled out for 205, suffering their maiden defeat of the competition. Rohit Sharma and company ended the group stage as the table-toppers of Group A. They will take on Australia in the 2025 Champions semi-finals at the same venue on Tuesday, March 4.

New Zealand, on the other hand, will compete with Group B's table-toppers South Africa for a place in the final. The second semifinal will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Wednesday, March 5.

The last group-stage match of the 2025 Champions Trophy was filled with some exciting moments. Let's take a look at three such moments from the IND vs NZ match that generated a lot of buzz among the fans.

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#1 Team India's Varun Chakravarthy bamboozles New Zealand with his mystery spin

Varun Chakravarthy's comeback to the Indian team has been nothing short of an inspiration. He remained wicketless at the 2021 T20 World Cup matches in Dubai and has now claimed a brilliant five-wicket haul in an ICC event at the same venue.

The New Zealand batters looked clueless against the 33-year-old bowler. He dismissed Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, and Matt Henry, recording figures of 10-0-42-5.

It is worth mentioning that Chakravarthy was not part of India's preliminary squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy. He replaced Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was ruled out due to an injury.

Chakravarthy earned massive praise for his outstanding bowling exploits against New Zealand. He was also adjudged the Player of the Match following India's victory.

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#2 Virat Kohli attempts to touch Axar Patel's feet after Kane Williamson's dismissal

Kane Williamson was New Zealand's best bet to chase down the target after they lost wickets at regular intervals. However, left-arm spinner Axar Patel ended the well-set batter's gutsy knock on the final delivery of his spell.

Axar got Williamson stumped with an armball. Interestingly, Virat Kohli was seen trying to touch the all-rounder's feet after the important breakthrough.

Axar was surprised by the gesture and stopped Kohli from touching his feet. The two shared a good laugh while celebrating the important wicket. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media.

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#3 Glenn Phillips takes a sensational one-handed stunner to dismiss Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli was playing in his 300th ODI match. However, his party was spoiled by Glenn Phillips, who once again plucked out an awe-inspiring catch.

Kohli played a cut shot off Matt Henry's bowling in the seventh over. He got a good connection and the ball flew towards the point region. While it initially appeared that the ball would race away to the fence for a four, Phillips stunned the onlookers with his fielding brilliance.

The Kiwi all-rounder completed a spectacular one-handed catch to send Kohli back to the pavilion after scoring 11 runs in 14 balls. Even the Indian batter seemed to be in disbelief after the catch.