Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to India's win vs New Zealand in 2025 Champions Trophy clash ft. Anil Kumble

Team India defeated New Zealand by 44 runs in their final group-stage encounter in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday, March 2. This win ensured that the Men in Blue remained unbeaten throughout the league stage.

Both India and New Zealand have already qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament, and this match practically had no importance for either of the teams. Still, the victory gave Rohit Sharma and company a much-needed confidence boost ahead of the semis.

India were the dominant side against the Kiwis and stamped their authority all over the game. Now, the Men in Blue will take on their bitter foes Australia in the semi-final, to be played on Wednesday, March 4, at the same venue.

Against the Kiwis, India batted first and put up a par score of 249/9 on the board after their quota of 50 overs. In reply, New Zealand floundered against India's tweakers and were bowled out for 205 in 45.3 overs, handing India a massive victory.

In this listicle, we take a look at the top five reactions by experts and pundits to India's big win.

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#5 Rohan Gavaskar

Former India batter Rohan Gavaskar spoke about the importance of building partnerships in one-day games and why the lack thereof caused New Zealand to lose the plot, and eventually the game.

Rohan mentioned that New Zealand did not have even a single 50-run partnership during their innings, and that this was the reason for their downfall. The 11-ODI veteran felt that the Kiwis did not adapt to the conditions.

"If you see the difference between the two teams, it eventually boils down to partnerships. Perhaps they did not figure the conditions right from the beginning. If you do not have even a 50-run partnership in such a crucial game, you are going to struggle. You need to be able to understand when to accelerate and when to rotate the strike, and that is something that caused the difference between the two teams," Rohan told Cricbuzz.

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#4 Murali Kartik

Former India spinner Murali Kartik, who is a pundit on television these days, spoke to Cricbuzz about how Daryl Mitchell's lack of proactive nature during his partnership with Kane Williamson cost the Kiwis the game.

Kartik also referred to the fact that New Zealand's batters had just two choices: go for a big shot or get out since they did not have any major partnerships. The ex-Railways' left-arm spinner analysed the lack of partnerships to be the key.

"When Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson were batting, I felt that he (Mitchell) could have made a difference. Normally, whenever he bats, Mitchell is quite proactive but today he got stuck. Those are the big partnerships. Kane Williamson contributed well, but you do not want to give your wicket away after playing so many deliveries," said Kartik.

"This is not the kind of surface where you can just go and blaze away. So here, you (Williamson) cannot give it away. He got a good delivery from Kuldeep, the defensive prod, and he got out. So whenever a partnership does not flourish, the batters will try to either go big or get out - that is what happened today (with New Zealand)," he added.

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#3 Sachin Tendulkar

Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, who is considered to be a veritable god of the sport, congratulated the Indian team for their thumping win over the New Zealanders. He also wished them luck ahead of the semi-final against Australia.

Tendulkar, taking to his X account, specially mentioned leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who single-handedly steered the Men in Blue to victory with figures of 5/42 in just his second One-Day International match.

".@ShreyasIyer15 played an important innings, and @chakaravarthy29's spell made sure India stayed ahead. A good team win!" wrote Tendulkar on X.

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#2 Sunil Gavaskar

Former India captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar was all praise for the Indian bowling unit after their inspiring showing against New Zealand. Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar spoke highly about the skilful nature of the Indian spinners.

Gavaskar, who was the first man to score 10,000 Test runs, also heaped a lot of praise on star batter and former captain Virat Kohli, who played his 300th ODI in this match. Gavaskar applauded Kohli for his longevity in the game.

"Well, if you had a look at our spinners in the first few overs, they did not get much help. Later on, as the pitch got a little bit better after the rolling after the dew had settled in, there was a little more grip for the spinners, but it wasn't an impossible pitch. There was a bit of a turn. It's just that the bowlers did so well that it was impossible for New Zealanders," said Gavaskar.

"I think it's the desire to be better than yesterday. He (Virat Kohli) is never satisfied with what he's achieved and always wants to do more. The pride he shows playing for India is an honour and a privilege. There are millions who dream of playing for India. Whether it’s a Test match, a 50-over game, or a T20 game, representing your country is every young kid’s dream and ambition. Keeping that ambition alive is key for Kohli wanting to excel in every game," Gavaskar said about Kohli.

"He’s gone from student to teacher to, if I may add, the chancellor of the Indian cricket university. For younger players like Shubman Gills and Yashasvi Jaiswals, just sitting next to him and observing how he prepares is a great learning curve,” he added.

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#1 Anil Kumble

Former India captain Anil Kumble, who also coached the senior team for a few years after retiring from the sport, lauded fellow leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy for his performance in India's massive win while speaking to ESPN Cricinfo.

Chakravarthy was not a part of the squad initially but was later named in it after impressing in the home series against England. Against New Zealand, he returned with figures of 5-42 in just his second ODI.

"I think Varun has been exceptional in the last 1-1.5 years, consistently winning matches for whichever team he has played for, whether it's Tamil Nadu or KKR or for India in T20Is. And now, today, getting an opportunity [in ODIs], because obviously India had already qualified," said Kumble.

"But going by the pitch and the conditions perhaps for the semi-final and hopefully for India, the final, this certainly augurs well. And if this is the kind of pitch India will continue to play on in Dubai, then this four-pronged spin attack would be really a challenge for any team. Australia would find it extremely difficult to manoeuver these four spinners," he added.