India bowled 37.3 overs of spin during the final Champions Trophy 2025 group-fixture against New Zealand, falling just short of their national record on Sunday (March 2).
Going into the final league match, India named as many as four frontline spinners in their line-up, bringing in Varun Chakravarthy for Harshit Rana. The spin conducive Dubai surface and the fairly large boundaries may have been the reasons.
India’s gamble paid off as they successfully defended 249, courtesy of a 5-42 from Varun, who became the quickest Indian to an ODI five-wicket haul. Varun was well supported by Axar Patel (1-32), Kuldeep Yadav (2-56) and Ravindra Jadeja (1-36) as New Zealand were strangled against a four-pronged spin attack. New Zealand were bowled out for 205 in 45.3 overs, succumbing to a 44-run defeat.
Out of the 45.3 overs, India's spin quartet bowled 37.3. This was the first time India sent down more than 30 overs of spin in an ODI since the series in Sri Lanka last year. Before that, they did it in the 2018 Asia Cup final against Bangladesh, where Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep, Jadeja and Kedar Jadhav constituted their spin flotilla.
This was also the third-most number of overs India have ever bowled with spin in a men's ODI: they bowled 41.2 overs against West Indies at Indore in 2011 and 39 overs against Kenya at Gwalior in 1998.
The all-time world record of 44 overs is held by Sri Lanka, who achieved the feat thrice – against West Indies (1996), New Zealand (1998) and Australia (2004).
Most spin overs bowled by a team in men's ODIs, full list
| Team | Opposition | Spin overs | Wickets | Venue | Year |
| Sri Lanka | West Indies | 44 | 7 | Port of Spain | 1996 |
| Sri Lanka | New Zealand | 44 | 7 | Premadasa | 1998 |
| Sri Lanka | Australia | 44 | 5 | Dambulla | 2004 |
| Oman | Netherlands | 43.3 | 10 | Al Amerat | 2024 |
| Sri Lanka | West Indies | 43 | 7 | Sharjah | 1995 |
| Sri Lanka | Australia | 43 | 8 | Premadasa | 1996 |
| Sri Lanka | Zimbabwe | 43 | 5 | Premadasa | 1998 |
| Sri Lanka | India | 43 | 4 | Premadasa | 1998 |
| Sri Lanka | Australia | 43 | 7 | Premadasa | 2022 |
| Zimbabwe | West Indies | 42 | 2 | Providence | 2010 |
| Zimbabwe | West Indies | 41.5 | 6 | Providence | 2010 |
| India | West Indies | 41.2 | 9 | Indore | 2011 |
| Zimbabwe | West Indies | 41 | 5 | Kingstown | 2010 |
| Kenya | Ireland | 41 | 7 | Mombasa | 2012 |
| Pakistan | Australia | 41 | 5 | Sharjah | 2012 |
| Afghanistan | West Indies | 41 | 5 | Lucknow | 2019 |
| Sri Lanka | Pakistan | 40 | 6 | Faisalabad | 1995 |
| Zimbabwe | New Zealand | 40 | 7 | Auckland | 1998 |
| Kenya | Bangladesh | 40 | 3 | Hyderabad | 1998 |
| Sri Lanka | Zimbabwe | 40 | 5 | Sharjah | 2003 |
| Sri Lanka | Australia | 40 | 2 | Dambulla | 2004 |
| Bangladesh | Zimbabwe | 40 | 9 | Chattogram | 2009 |
| Zimbabwe | India | 40 | 6 | Harare | 2010 |
| Pakistan | England | 40 | 4 | Dubai | 2012 |
| Bangladesh | West Indies | 40 | 8 | Mirpur | 2012 |
| Afghanistan | West Indies | 40 | 5 | Lucknow | 2019 |
| South Africa | Sri Lanka | 40 | 8 | Premadasa | 2021 |
| Afghanistan | South Africa | 40 | 5 | Ahmedabad | 2023 |
| Sri Lanka | Australia | 39.4 | 7 | Premadasa | 2002 |
| Bangladesh | West Indies | 39.4 | 8 | Providence | 2022 |
| Afghanistan | Ireland | 39.2 | 5 | Dehradun | 2019 |
| UAE | New Zealand | 39 | 7 | Faisalabad | 1996 |
| India | Kenya | 39 | 3 | Gwalior | 1998 |
| Bangladesh | England | 39 | 4 | Chattogram | 2010 |
| Bangladesh | Zimbabwe | 39 | 9 | Mirpur | 2010 |
| Zimbabwe | Australia | 39 | 3 | Ahmedabad | 2011 |
| Bangladesh | West Indies | 39 | 5 | Mirpur | 2012 |
| Afghanistan | West Indies | 39 | 7 | Harare | 2018 |
| Afghanistan | Ireland | 39 | 4 | Dehradun | 2019 |
| Ireland | Afghanistan | 39 | 5 | Mombasa | 2019 |
| Kenya | Ireland | 38.3 | 9 | Lucknow | 2012 |
| Afghanistan | Netherlands | 38.3 | 6 | Mirpur | 2023 |
| Bangladesh | Zimbabwe | 38.2 | 9 | Nairobi | 2010 |
| Zimbabwe | Ireland | 38.1 | 7 | Chattogram | 2008 |
| Bangladesh | Pakistan | 38.1 | 9 | Premadasa | 2011 |
| Sri Lanka | India | 38.1 | 10 | SSC | 2023 |
| Sri Lanka | Pakistan | 38 | 5 | SSC | 1997 |
| Sri Lanka | Zimbabwe | 38 | 6 | SSC | 1998 |
| Zimbabwe | Sri Lanka | 38 | 4 | SSC | 1998 |
| Bangladesh | England | 38 | 4 | Mirpur | 2010 |
| Bangladesh | Pakistan | 38 | 5 | Mirpur | 2014 |
| Zimbabwe | Afghanistan | 38 | 6 | Bulawayo | 2014 |
| Zimbabwe | South Africa | 38 | 2 | Harare | 2014 |
| Afghanistan | Pakistan | 38 | 5 | Leeds | 2019 |
| Sri Lanka | South Africa | 38 | 4 | Premadasa | 2021 |
| Afghanistan | Pakistan | 38 | 4 | Chennai | 2023 |
| UAE | Oman | 38 | 4 | Al Amerat | 2024 |
| Afghanistan | Bangladesh | 38 | 7 | Sharjah | 2024 |
| New Zealand | Sri Lanka | 38 | 6 | Pallekele | 2024 |
| Sri Lanka | India | 37.5 | 9 | Premadasa | 2024 |
| India | New Zealand | 37.3 | 9 | Dubai | 2025 |
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