More than 160 politicians of England had written a letter to the England and Wales Cricket Board to boycott England vs Afghanistan match of the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 because of the treatment of women in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. However, this has reportedly been rejected by the ECB .

A letter from Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi to ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould said, "We strongly urge the England men's team players and officials to speak out against the horrific treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban. We also urge the ECB to consider a boycott of the upcoming match against Afghanistan… to send a clear signal that such grotesque abuses will not be tolerated."

Also Read: ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 schedule announced

In response to the letter calling for a boycott, Gould said, "ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime" while suggesting it favours a uniform approach from all member nations rather than acting alone, according to Sky Sports report."

England protested over Taliban-ruled country

England has cited the laws and restrictions being brought against women by the Taliban government in this country as the reason for not playing the match against Afghanistan. England has called these decisions against humanity and has raised the issue of boycotting the match in protest.

Australia also refused to play with Afghanistan

England is not the first country to refuse to play match against Afghanistan due to the restrictions being imposed by the Taliban against women. Australia has also canceled a series with Afghanistan for the same reason.

Australia had also refused to play any bilateral series with Afghanistan. Now both these teams are also seen playing against each other in ICC tournaments only. They played each other at the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup. Afghanistan players had also expressed their displeasure towards Australian cricket regarding this.

Pakistan to host the tournament 

This time Pakistan is hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 from 19th February. The tournament has been in discussion for a long time regarding its venue. After BCCI's decision not to send Team India to Pakistan for this event, there was a long dispute regarding its venue.

After a lot of difficulties, the tournament has now been decided in hybrid model. All the matches will be held in Pakistan while India will play all its matches in Dubai. If India reaches the semi-finals or finals then these matches will also be played in Dubai. 

Also Read: India to play their 2025 ICC Champions Trophy matches at a neutral venue

England vs Afghanistan to be held on 26 February

England have been placed in Group B along with Afghanistan, Australia, and South Africa in the Champions Trophy 2025. The clash between England and Afghanistan is to be held on 26 February.

India's performance in the ICC events has been mixed in recent years. The title win over South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 ended India’s 11-year-long ICC title drought after it last won a global tournament back in 2013 - the ICC Champions Trophy.

Their latest triumph came via Champions Trophy 2025, as they defeated New Zealand by four wickets in Dubai in the final. It was the second consecutive ICC trophy for India under Rohit Sharma's captaincy.

So far, India have collected 7 ICC trophies including two 50 over World Cups, three Champions Trophy, and two T20 World Cups in 2007 and 2024.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has won 3 ICC events as a captain and Rohit Sharma has 2 in those 7 ICC trophies that India won so far. In this article, SportzPoint will give you  details on India's performances in every ICC tournaments so far.

ICC Cricket World Cup (1975 - 2023):

The International Cricket Council (ICC) started the ODI World Cup back in the year 1975. From then, ICC organized the tournament a total of 13 times. Australia are the most successful in the format as they won 6 titles so far.

India won their first World Cup under Kapil Dev back in 1983 and next under Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2011. With 2 titles India are the second most successful team alongside West Indies in the 50 overs format after Australia. 

Read Also: Most ICC Trophy wins by any team

Indian Men's Cricket team also lost two ODI World Cup finals, one under Sourav Ganguly in 2003 and another one under Rohit Sharma in 2023. Here is how India performed in the each of the 13 editions of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

India's performance in every ICC Cricket World Cup

ICC Champions Trophy (1998 - 2025):

ICC started a new tournament of the 50 overs format in 1998 called the Champions Trophy. It was also referred as a "Mini World Cup". Till 2006 the Champion's Trophy was held every two years. After that, it continues with a gap of 4 years from 2009.

In 2003, India reached the Finals of the tournament along with Sri Lanka. As the match got washed out and India were declared joint winners.

However, India finally won the ICC Champions Trophy under MS Dhoni in 2013 after defeating England by 5 runs.

In 2025, India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in Dubai to lift the trophy for the third time. It was the second consecutive ICC trophy for India under Rohit Sharma's captaincy.

Let's take a look at India's performance in the tournament so far.

Read Also | ICC Men's Champions trophy winners list

India's performance in Champions Trophy so far

ICC T20 World Cup (2007 - 2024):

International Cricket Council introduced a new format marquee tournament in 2007 as T20 Cricket started to grow globally. ICC started the T20 World Cup in the year 2007. India defeated their arch-rival Pakistan in the final that year and won the inaugural T20 World Cup under MS Dhoni.

Read Also: India's performance in every T20 World Cup 

Since then, the Indian cricket team became runners-up in 2014 and then finally lifted the trophy again in 2024 under Rohit Sharma.

India's performance in every T20 World Cup

ICC World Test Championship (2019-2025):

ICC World Test Championship started in the year 2019 as New Zealand won the inaugural WTC after defeating India in the ICC World Test Championship 2021 Final.

India once again qualified for the Test Championship final in 2023 and this time, it was Australia who challenged them. India bottled their chance to win an ICC trophy after waiting for a decade and lost the match by a huge margin of 209 runs. 

In 2023-25 World Test Championship, India failed to qualify for the final.

India's performance in every WTC

Hello and welcome to the LIVE coverage of the India vs New Zealand Final in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, to be played today at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.

Exactly a week ago, India faced off against New Zealand in the last group game of the Group A. India won the match by 44 runs to finish first in the group stage.

However, India defeated Australia by four wickets in the first semi-final, whereas New Zealand posted a dominant win by 50 runs against South Africa in the second semi-final.

Both teams have displayed supreme cricketing action so far in this tournament, setting up a potential thrilling final. So just relax and enjoy the epic clash as Sportz Point provides you with all the real-time updates, team news, live scores, images and match commentary of the epic India vs New Zealand Final in the ICC CT '25.

This is Koushik Biswas and Soumit Bhattacharya who bring you all the LIVE Updates from the web desk.

Moreover, you can follow us on Twitter for all the updates. Join our Telegram and WhatsApp channels to get all the news and scores.

New Zealand has made it to the finals after defeating South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Now they will clash with India at the Dubai ground. 

India and New Zealand have so far clashed in the ICC Knockout Trophy, ODI World Cup 2019 semi-final and World Test Championship 2019-2021 final. Where the Indian team has had to face defeat every time.

However, the situation for India seems different in the Champions Trophy. Both teams are strong, so an interesting match can be witnessed.

Also Read: Champions Trophy 2025 Final: India vs New Zealand match preview | Head-to-head stats, Possible XI, match prediction, streaming details

So, before these two teams once again share the field on Sunday, let’s take a look at every results from India vs New Zealand match in ICC events.

Results from India vs New Zealand match in ICC events

ODI World Cups

India and New Zealand have shared victories in their World Cup history, making this rivalry an exciting one.

In the early years, New Zealand had the upper hand, winning multiple encounters, but India bounced back in the late 1980s and early 2000s.

The 2019 semi-final remains one of the most memorable matches, where New Zealand eliminated India with an 18-run victory. Rain played a role in the 2019 group-stage match, which was abandoned.

India have performed well in some editions, but New Zealand have been more successful in knockout games.

Champions Trophy

India and New Zealand have clashed twice in ICC Champions Trophy tournaments. Each team has won once, making their head-to-head record in the tournament evenly balanced.

India and New Zealand faced off in a match on March 2, 2025, where India posted a total of 249/9 in 50 overs. In response, New Zealand was bowled out for 205 in 45.3 overs, giving India a 44-run victory.

Their first encounter was in the 2000 edition, where New Zealand won by four wickets, securing their only Champions Trophy victory against India.

Also Read: Most ICC Finals as captain

T20 World Cups

New Zealand have been dominant over India in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup encounters, winning all three matches convincingly.

The first meeting in 2007 was closely contested, with New Zealand winning by just 10 runs. However, in later encounters, New Zealand won more comfortably, including a massive 47-run victory in 2016 and an eight-wicket win in 2021.

India have struggled against New Zealand’s bowling attack in T20 World Cup games, often failing to chase or post competitive totals.

Indian bowler Mohammed Shami recently demanded the ICC to lift the ban on applying saliva on ball. Now former New Zealand bowler Tim Southee and former South African all-rounder Vernon Philander have supported Shami's demand.

Shami, while talking to reporters after Team India's 4-wicket win over Australia in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy, had requested the ICC to lift the ban on the use of saliva on ball.

Also Read: Champions Trophy 2025 Final: India vs New Zealand match preview | Head-to-head stats, Possible XI, match prediction, streaming details

Use of saliva on ball should be allowed to bring back reverse swing

"We are trying (to get reverse swing), but the usage of saliva on the ball is not allowed," Shami told reporters.

"We keep appealing that we should be allowed to use saliva so that we can bring reverse swing back into the game and it becomes interesting."

Southee and Philander backed Shami

Supporting Shami's statement, Southee said on ESPNcricinfo's Match Day, "That was a rule brought around Covid with the virus going around the world, but I think as a bowler, you want to have a slight advantage," 

"We see the game going the way it's going and seeing sides score 362 and more often than not over 300 in this format. I think there needs to be something in the bowlers' favour, and whether that's a little bit of saliva, then yeah, I don't see why they couldn't afford to get that back in."

At the same time, Philander said that in the second semi-final played against New Zealand, the South African bowlers could have benefited from applying saliva and using reverse swing, particularly in the later half of the innings. New Zealand amassed 362 for 6 in their 50 overs.

"If we look at the state of that ball, I mean towards the back end, it was really scuffed up, and I think had you used the saliva [to polish one side of the ball], the element of the reverse swing might have come into play," Philander said.

"So it certainly does play a part. You can get it to shine up and you use the elements to swing it a little longer."

Also Read: Most ICC Finals as captain

Use of saliva banned during COVID 19

The ban on the use of saliva on ball was first imposed in May 2020 as a temporary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, in September 2022, the ICC made the ban permanent.

The title match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be played between India and New Zealand on March 9 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India defeated Australia in the semi-finals, while New Zealand entered the title match by defeating South Africa.

After 25 years, once again these two teams will face each other in the title match of ICC's limited overs format.

India and New Zealand teams have clashed in the finals of ICC tournaments twice. The last time the two teams played each other was in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) in 2021. 

In this title match, which lasted for six days due to rain, New Zealand's team dominated India and won by eight wickets.

India are going into the final of another ICC event unbeaten and will look to win their second consecutive title after the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. 

On the other hand, New Zealand are also coming after a dominant run so far with their only loss coming against India in the group stage. 

Here is everything you need to know before the India vs New Zealand title clash in Champions Trophy 2025. 

Also Read: Most ICC Finals as captain

Match Details 

• Match: India vs New Zealand 
• Tournament: Champions Trophy 2025, Final
• Date: 7 March 2025
• Time: 2:30 PM IST
• Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

Streaming Details 

The live telecast of the India vs New Zealand Final match will be available on the Star Sports network in India.

The live streaming will be available on the JioHostar App and website in India.

India vs New Zealand: Head-to-head stats in ODIs

New Zealand and India have faced each other 119 times in the ODI format so far. Out of these 119 matches, India have won 61 times while New Zealand come out victorious on 50 occasions.

One match also ended in a tie while seven matches ended in a draw between New Zealand and India in the ODI format. 

India vs New Zealand: Pitch Report

The surface of the new pitch looked suitable for the fast bowlers in the last two matches played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

At the start of the game, the pace bowlers got much support from the pitch. However, as the game progressed, the batters started getting support due to perfect pace and bounce.

The team winning the toss will prefer to chase the target on this ground.

Out of the 62 ODI matches played at this ground, the team batting won 23 times while the chasing team came out victorious on 37 occasions. 

Team News: India

It’s difficult to see India changing a playing XI that brought them a 44-run win against New Zealand as well as a four-wicket win over Australia in their semifinal .

The introduction of Varun Chakravarthy has paid off with seven wickets in two games, which means he will keep his place, and Harshit Rana will sit out the final.

Also Read: Virat Kohli stats in ICC Tournaments

Team News: New Zealand 

New Zealand had a slight scare during their semifinal when Henry seemingly injured his shoulder while diving in the field. The New Zealand camp are hopeful that the key fast bowler will be declared fit for the final.

If Henry is cleared to play, the Blackcaps are expected to remain unchanged as well.

India vs New Zealand: Possible Lineups

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.

New Zealand: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, William ORourke.

Fantasy team prediction: India vs New Zealand 

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Kuldeep Yadav, Matt Henry, Mohammed Shami.