New Zealand's primary asset with the bat in the ICC Champions Trophy final was anticipated to be the partnership between Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson, who had recently forged a match-winning record partnership of 164 runs in the semifinal against South Africa. However, Kuldeep Yadav delivered a significant blow to the Kiwis by dismissing both of their top batsmen in consecutive overs early in his spell on Sunday in Dubai.

Following a brisk and somewhat precarious start for Ravindra, Kuldeep Yadav claimed the talented left-hander with his very first delivery, threading a ball through the bat-pad gap and leaving New Zealand at 69-2. In his subsequent over, he dismissed Williamson with a standard leg-spinner that slightly turned, causing the Kiwi stalwart to play his shot too early, resulting in a straightforward return catch to Kuldeep.

Rohit Sharma brought Kuldeep into the attack in the eleventh over of the innings. With his opening delivery, Kuldeep bowled a significant googly, which was misjudged by the aggressive Ravindra, who was on 37 runs. The ball, pitching on off stump, drew Ravindra back as he attempted to drive it through the covers, but it sharply turned in towards his pads, clipping them before crashing into the stumps. Ravindra was ultimately dismissed for 37 runs off 29 balls, which included four boundaries and one well-struck six.

Rachin can't capitalise on bonus life

Earlier in the innings, Ravindra was fortunate to escape dismissal on two occasions, being dropped when he had scored 28 and again at 29. Both instances involved challenging catches; the first was a sharply hit ball directed back towards bowler Mohammed Shami, who was unable to secure it during his follow-through.

Shortly thereafter, Ravindra attempted a slog against Varun Chakaravarthy. Although Shreyas Iyer managed to reach the ball from the square leg boundary, he was unable to complete the catch.

Fortunately for India, Ravindra did not capitalize on these opportunities, as Kuldeep's introduction proved effective in what has been a relatively subdued tournament for him thus far. The leg-spinner made an immediate impact, preventing Kane Williamson from settling into his innings. Williamson managed only 11 runs off 13 balls before edging a delivery that resulted in an easy catch for Kuldeep.

Kuldeep's achievement of taking two wickets elicited notable reactions on social media. One fan on X remarked, "HUM BHI KHELNE AAYE HAI" - Kuldeep Yadav (2025), referencing Kuldeep's previous underwhelming performances in ICC knockout matches.

The wickets left the Kiwis on 76/3, having lost Will Young to a drifting leg-spinner from Varun Chakravarthy earlier in the innings, and firmly putting India in the driver’s seat after Mitchell Santner had asked them to chase in this crucial final.

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