Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting wants New Zealand cricketers to hold their heads high despite losing to India in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai. New Zealand went down to India by four wickets in the title decider, suffering a fourth loss in four short-format global finals over the last decade. New Zealand, who had finished second behind India in Group A, dominated the Pakistan leg of the Champions Trophy, knocking out Pakistan and Bangladesh in the group stage, and despite tiring journeys to-and-from Dubai, had enough gas in the tank to pummel South Africa in the Lahore semifinal. “I don’t think it (New Zealand’s campaign) went wrong at all. I think they had another outstanding tournament. They were brilliant right the way through,” Ponting was quoted as asaying on The ICC Review. ALSO READ | ‘Cricket Is A Cruel Game’: Rachin Ravindra Left Feeling ‘Bittersweet’ After CT 2025 Heartbreak ALSO READ | ‘Lost To A Better Side’: Mitchell Santner Reflects On Champions Trophy Heartbreak New Zealand won three of five matches during the Champions Trophy, losing only to India twice. When asked about his picks ahead of the start of the tournament, Ponting when he had named Australia to meet India in the final, he said: “I was asked at the start of the tournament who I thought the final four would be, and as soon as you start talking about top fours for ICC events, you just have to put New Zealand in it, because they just always do it. “And I didn’t do it this time because I thought Pakistan would make it being at home, and I thought South Africa would make it. So I didn’t have New Zealand there and sure enough there they are again. “And what a dominant performance it was against South Africa in their semi-final to make it through to the final. You probably can’t play a better game of one-day cricket than that. To bat first and make 360-odd, I think it’s the highest total ever in a Champions Trophy game.” “They just came up against a really good team in the final, and they weren’t far away. India won in the 49th or 50th over. They haven’t done a lot wrong,” Ponting said.