Rachin Ravindra revelled in New Zealand's emphatic victory over South Africa in the Champions Trophy semi-finals.

New Zealand sealed their passage into Sunday's showpiece match against India with a 50-run victory over the Proteas in Lahore.

Ravindra top-scored for New Zealand with 108, while his 164-run partnership with Kane Williamson (102) proved decisive in steering the Black Caps to 362-6 from 50 overs.

Despite David Miller's quickfire 100, it proved too little too late for South Africa, who finished well short at 312-9.

"It's always a great feeling to contribute to the team," Ravindra said. "To get an emphatic win on the semi-final stage like this, I couldn't be happier.

"I didn't start as well as I wanted to. South Africa bowled well, which limited me a little bit. Being able to work with the guys on my team is what helped me the most.

"It was great to be able to build some partnerships out there, and it was nice to have them out there to help me.

"We were thinking about the 300 mark. The ball was holding, their cutters were getting a lot of bounce. Kane started accelerating nicely, then it went up from there.

"The thing about tournament cricket is that it's all about what's next, but we're just going to take in the moment. We'll reflect on the day, chill out tonight and when we get to Dubai [for the final], we'll switch on."

Rachin Ravindra's century powered New Zealand to the #ChampionsTrophy Final

He wins the @aramco POTM awardpic.twitter.com/3xWfntEElx

— ICC (@ICC) March 5, 2025

New Zealand have the opportunity to land their second Champions Trophy title, a quarter of a century after their previous triumph.

Skipper Mitchell Santner, who did his bit with figures of 3-43, paid tribute to the "massive" partnership between Ravindra and Williamson.

"It's a cool feeling. Today, we were challenged by a good side," he said. 

"The platform we were able to set was vital. We were happy with 360, but with the power that South Africa have, we knew it would be a challenge. We just tried to chip away and take some wickets in the middle.

"What we speak about as a group is about applying pressure, keep being aggressive with the ball and trying to take wickets. In a chase like that, if you don't get them out, they are going to catch up.

"That partnership was massive for us. It looked like he might've been frustrated at times, but he kept going and got through the periods that South Africa challenged us. Everyone else was able to contribute and chip in."