Champions Trophy: India top Group A with win over New Zealand, to face Australia in semis
Dubai, Mar 2 (PTI): India beat New Zealand by 44 runs here on Sunday to top Group A in the Champions Trophy.
Shreyas Iyer top-scored for India with 79 off 98 balls while Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel chipped in with 45 and 42 respectively.
Kane Williamson kept New Zealand in the run chase with a sublime 81 before the Black Caps ended with 205 all out in 45.3 overs.
Varun Chakravarthy was the standout bowler for India, taking five wickets for 42 runs in 10 overs.
As table toppers, India will face Australia in the first semifinal on Tuesday while New Zealand will play South Africa in Lahore on Wednesday.
Brief Scores:
India: 249 for 9 in 50 overs (Shreyas Iyer 79; Matt Henry 5/42).
New Zealand: 205 all out in 45.3 overs (Kane Williamson 81; Varun Chakravarthy 5/42).
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Ikkis box office Day 1: Agastya Nanda’s war drama earns ₹7 crore, beats trade projections
Mumbai: Ikkis, the latest war drama directed by Sriram Raghavan, has delivered a stronger-than-expected opening at the box office, earning an estimated ₹7 crore net in India on its first day, Hindustan Times reported on Friday.
The film, starring Agastya Nanda, opened in theatres on January 1 across nearly 4,000 screens nationwide. Trade analysts had earlier projected a modest opening of ₹2–2.5 crore, especially given stiff competition from Dhurandhar, which continues to perform strongly at the box office.
Despite these expectations, Ikkis exceeded projections by nearly three times, helped largely by positive word of mouth. As per the report, the film had around 12% occupancy in the morning shows across the country, which jumped to 35% by afternoon, and 47% in the evening, indicating growing audience interest as the day progressed.
While Dhurandhar dominated the day with a reported ₹15 crore collection, trade observers note that Ikkis holding its ground amid such competition is a promising sign, particularly for its performance over the extended opening weekend.
Ikkis is based on the life of Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of India’s highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra. The film chronicles Khetarpal’s exploits and bravery during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. Agastya plays Khetarpal in the film.
While screen legend Dharmendra appears as his father in his final performance, Dharmendra died a little over a month before the film’s release. Ikkis is also among the final films of the late Asrani, who also died late last year. The film also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Deepak Dobriyal.
