"I was s****ing myself at the end" - KL Rahul's candid admission after tense triumph in 2025 Champions Trophy final

Team India keeper-batter KL Rahul admitted that he got nervous during the chase against New Zealand in the 2025 Champions final after the Men in Blue kept losing wickets at key moments. He expressed joy at being able to take India over the line.

India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the 2025 Champions Trophy final on Sunday, March 9 in Dubai to lift the ICC title for the third time. Bowling first after winning the toss, India held the Kiwis to 251-7. Rohit Sharma (76 off 83) then led from the front before Rahul (34* off 33) guided the team home.

Speaking to the host broadcaster after the final, Rahul admitted that things were quite tense out in the middle towards the end. He said:

"I don't think I can say this on camera, but I was s****ing myself at the end. But we still had a couple of batters to come, so I was confident that we could get over the line. But in moments like this and big games, it's more about holding your composure, which we all know about. Yeah, happy to win this and happy to get over the line this time."

The 32-year-old recalled being in similar situations in earlier games as well, in the 2025 Champions Trophy, and asserted that the experience came in handy in the final. Reflecting on the emotions after the memorable win, Rahul said:

"It's hard to put in words. But, yeah, it's just pure skill and the way we've all played our cricket growing up. And, you know, where we've had to face a lot of challenges, we've had to face pressure from the time we held the bat and from the time we decided to be professional cricketers."

Rahul struck one four and one six in his crucial cameo. He added 38 runs for the sixth wicket with Hardik Pandya (18) to firmly shut the door on the Kiwis.

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KL Rahul batting stats in 2025 Champions Trophy

Rahul was asked to bat at No. 6 in the Champions Trophy, with Axar Patel being promoted to No. 5. The move worked well for Team India as the seasoned batter played a few crucial knocks, contributing 140 runs in four innings at an impressive strike rate of 97.90.

The right-handed batter scored 41* off 47 balls in India's opening Champions Trophy match against Bangladesh. He did not bat against Pakistan and then contributed 23 off 29 in the last group match against New Zealand. Rahul scored 42* off 34 in the semifinal against Australia before making an impact in the final.