Sachin Tendulkar praises standout performances in India’s dominant Champions Trophy victory against New Zealand

New Zealand's decision to field paid off as they restricted India to a total of 249/9. Matt Henry was the standout performer with impressive figures of 5/42, leading a superb bowling display by the Kiwis. Their sharp catching skills also played a significant role in limiting India's score.

In response from the Kiwi batters, New Zealand did back themselves for the win, especially amid a classy 81 from Kane Williamson. But the spinners choked the run-scoring through the middle overs on a tired Dubai track, with Varun dictating the terms with his 5 for 42, as the tweakers collectively picked up nine of the 10 wickets in India's third-straight win in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

However, for Sachin, there was one other performance that mattered. In his social media post on Sunday night, the former India opener did not forget to compliment Shreyas Iyer's valiant knock of 79, which saw India bounce back from a top-order collapse, en route to posting the target of 250.

"Shreyas Iyer played an important innings, and Varun Chakaravarthy's spell made sure India stayed ahead. A good team win!

'I did feel nervous in the initial stages...'

On a slow, low Dubai surface, India took the call of substituting pacer Harshit Rana with Varun, and the spinner made an immediate impact in his first match of the tournament that earned him the player-of-the-match award. His 5 for 42 was the second-best bowling figure by an Indian in the Champions Trophy and also the second-best figure on debut in the ICC tournament. Having picked up a five-wicket haul in just his second appearance in the format, it became the quickest by an Indian bowler in ODIs. The previous instance was Stuart Binny, who picked 6/4 against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2014 in his third appearance.

After the match, Varun admitted to nervousness, but talking to the senior players helped him.

"First of all, I felt nervous in the initial stages. I have not played many matches for India in the ODI format, but as the game went on, I felt better. Virat, Rohit, Shreyas and Hardik were talking to me and that helped," he said.

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