Revisiting India's four appearances in a Champions Trophy final ahead of 2025 clash vs New Zealand

Team India is set to appear in the final of the 2025 Champions Trophy for the fifth time in the tournament’s history. The Men in Blue will face New Zealand in the summit clash at the Dubai International Stadium on March 9.

On Sunday, Rohit Sharma will achieve a unique feat as he'll become the first captain to lead his team to four ICC tournament finals. The Mumbai batter notably led India to the final of the World Test Championship 2023, the ODI World Cup in the same year, the 2024 T20I World Cup, and now the Champions Trophy.

As Team India gears up for the all-important clash, here's revisiting their previous four appearances in the final of the Champions Trophy.

#4 India vs New Zealand- October 15, 2000

India’s maiden appearance in the Champions Trophy came in the 2000 edition when they faced New Zealand in Nairobi. While the Kiwis beat Pakistan in the semi-final, India defeated South Africa in the second semi-final to book a final spot.

Winning the toss, the Black Caps put the Men in Blue in to bat first. The team got off to a rollicking start, with openers Sourav Ganguly (117 off 130) and Sachin Tendulkar (69 off 83) putting up a 141-run stand. They ended up as the only two top performers in the game as India closed in on 264/6.

In reply, New Zealand’s middle-order batter Chris Cairns notched up a brilliant unbeaten century to take his side over the line with just two balls to spare in the game. Venkatesh Prasad was the pick of the bowlers for India for his 3/27 in seven overs.

#3 India vs Sri Lanka- September 30, 2002

India made it to back-to-back Champions Trophy finals after booking their place in the summit clash in the 2002 edition when they faced Sri Lanka. This was the first time that they clinched the cup, finishing as the joint-winners alongside the Islanders.

Batting first, Sri Lanka put 222 runs on board at the loss of seven wickets. Middle-order batters Mahela Jayawardene and Russel Arnold were the top scorers for their team with their respective 77 and 56-run knocks.

India’s innings didn’t last long as rain interfered and had the final say when Ganguly’s men were 38/1. The trophy was eventually shared between both sides, with the prize money of USD 300,000 being split equally in addition to the USD 225,000 that they won for their pool victories.

#2 India vs England- June 23, 2013

India lifted their second Champions Trophy title in 2013 by defeating hosts England. Played in the T20I format, the Men in Blue put up a target of 130 runs for the Englishmen to chase in 120 deliveries.

Virat Kohli was the top scorer for the side with his 34-ball 43, followed by Ravindra Jadeja and Shikhar Dhawan who notched up 33 and 31 runs, respectively. No other batter managed to reach double digits as India finished with an average total.

While it looked like an easy score to chase, England faced an equal amount of difficulties as the Indian bowlers put up a challenge. The spin duo of Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin joined hands to pick two wickets each while Ishant Sharma also finished with as many scalps.

Courtesy of their efforts and some brilliant fielding efforts from their teammates, India restricted England to 124/8 in 20 overs to win the tournament.

#1 India vs Pakistan- June 18, 2017

One of the fiercest rivals of the cricketing world, India and Pakistan locked horns in the 2017 Champions Trophy final. The two sides were a part of the same pool in the group stage, where the Men in Blue had defeated the Men in Green.

In what was their second encounter of the 2017 edition of the tournament, Pakistan put up 338/4 in their allotted 50 overs courtesy of a brilliant century by Fakhar Zaman and half-centuries by Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez.

In response only Hardik Pandya could make a noteworthy contribution, scoring a quick-fire 43-ball 76 as Team India were restricted to 158 in 30.3 overs. Pakistan, hence, clinched their first-ever Champions Trophy title, defeating their arch-rivals by 180 runs.