Team India's road to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final

If the India vs England series was any sign, it was an indication of the domination that the Men in Blue were aiming for at the ICC Champions Trophy. Now, as the marquee event swiftly approaches its conclusion, India has fared right as indicated ahead of the tournament. The Men in Blue, led by Rohit Sharma, have provided little to no chance for criticism as they moved from strength to strength in Dubai. With commanding victories in the group stage, India was the first to virtually claim a semi-final berth. For the semi-final, India had to face the culprits of their 2023 ODI World Cup defeat. However, the Men in Blue overpowered Australia this time, as they now sit awaiting their opponent for the final clash.

Road to the ICC Champions Trophy final for Team India

Coming to the ICC Champions Trophy, India looked well in shape despite the absence of their guaranteed match-winner, Jasprit Bumrah. While the bowling lineup raised concerns with the primary pacers appearing raw for an ICC tournament, the batting order appeared lethal with Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer in sublime form. Their form translated into impactful knocks, hitting the right notes in the required situation. However, the highlight of their campaign has emerged to be Virat Kohli, who was fielding concerns about his disappointing form until the start of the Champions Trophy. However, the same Kohli tapped into his form that defined perfection in the format, as he became the carrier of victories against Pakistan and Australia.

India vs Bangladesh, the ICC Champions Trophy campaign opener

The opening match had no surprises lined up for the fans as India took the field against Bangladesh on 20 February. The match bore the anticipated result as India picked up a six-wicket win over their neighbors. However, the match provided a motivating peek into the team's promising run at the Champions Trophy. The concerns over India's bowling lineup were dashed as Mohammed Shami picked up a fifer in the opening innings. Moreover, Harshit Rana impressed with three wickets on his ICC Champions Trophy debut as the team looked formidable even without Jasprit Bumrah.

Put into the chase of 229 against Bangladesh, the heavy load was carried seamlessly by vice-captain Shubman Gill in the chase. Gill arrived in Dubai after registering a ton against England in the last ODI in Ahmedabad. The vice-captain notched consecutive tons as he reached three figures against Bangladesh to kick off the tournament. Provided an ideal start by Rohit Sharma up the top, India won the opener with 21 balls to spare.

India vs Pakistan

The thrill arrived as eyes focused on the much-awaited India vs Pakistan rivalry. However, as hyped up as the rivalry between the neighbors was, their standings in the tournament lay wide apart. While India came with a commanding six-wicket victory over Bangladesh, Pakistan had their campaign derailed right at the start with a 60-run defeat against New Zealand. India vs Pakistan was fixed as the hosts' last remaining hope to continue in their title defense at the Champions Trophy. However, India was in no mood to spare any mercy to their arch-rivals.

After Hardik Pandya kicked off the proceedings by dismissing Babar Azam early in the innings, the spin trio of Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav triggered a late collapse in the Pakistani batting order. Unable to build momentum despite a long-standing partnership between skipper Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel, Pakistan could manage only 241.

The chase, meanwhile, belonged to the resurgence of Virat Kohli. With a mighty reputation against the Men in Green, Kohli saw no better event than an ICC fixture against Pakistan to script his comeback. Knitting a sublime partnership with Shreyas Iyer, Kohli swiftly let the chase slip out of Pakistan's hands. Towards the end, the match became more about the century of Kohli than the tussle between the opponents. The King, meanwhile, managed to reach his 82nd international ton, hitting Khushdil Shah for a boundary, as India claimed yet another six-wicket victory. The fixture virtually confirmed India's place in the semi-final and Pakistan's exit from their home tournament.

India vs New Zealand

Until the India vs New Zealand match arrived, both the Men in Blue and the Kiwis had cemented their place in the semi-final. However, the fixture still held significance as India faced an equal in the standings. New Zealand seemed to trouble India in the opening innings as Matt Henry rendered Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli helpless. Claiming a fifer, Henry led the path for restricting India below the 250-run mark. The 250 total, however, saw the importance of Shreyas Iyer in the middle order, whose 79, along with the 45 by Hardik Pandya, pushed India to a fighting total.

What New Zealand was not ready for, however, was to meet the mystery of spinner Varun Chakravarthy on the Dubai turf. The spinner stunned the Kiwis as he picked up a fifer on the slow pitch. Completing a redemption arc at the same venue where he was bashed left, right, and center in the 2021 T20 World Cup, Chakravarthy placed himself as a deserving candidate for the semis. Chakravarthy's match-winning spell laid out the 44-run victory for India that led them to top Group A and set up the Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia.

India vs Australia Champions Trophy semi-final

Australia arrived in the semi-final after a historic 352-run chase against England and two washouts in the group stage in Pakistan. India, meanwhile, had to fight the ghosts of their 2023 ODI World Cup defeat to script a turnaround this time. India's plan to play a spin-heavy combination bore fruit as Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Travis Head before the opener turned lethal for India. While Steve Smith played a gritty 74-run knock, Australia eventually fell into the spin trap of India, bundling out at 264 in the knockout fixture.

The chase, meanwhile, bore witness to the impact that Virat Kohli commands in the batting order. Shubman Gill failed to keep up his form, falling to Ben Dwarshuis at just 9 in the chase. Rohit Sharma survived two catch calls, only to be dismissed in an LBW by Cooper Connolly. However, Virat Kohli set his eyes on the target and his feet at the pitch to see the chase through. Complemented by the impactful contributions of Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel, Kohli's 84-run knock defined the chase. While he didn't finish, the task was made easy for Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, who raised the style quotient of the four-wicket victory over Australia with enthralling sixes against the Kangaroos. India now awaits either New Zealand or South Africa in the summit clash scheduled for 9 March at the same venue.