Rohit Sharma Steers India to the ICC Champions Trophy Victory
Rohit Sharma has led India to their third ICC Champions Trophy title following a four-wicket win over New Zealand. The men in blue chased down a target of 252 runs with an over to spare. This low-scoring finale was full of ups and downs.
The Blackcaps opt to bat
Another match, another toss loss for team India. The men in blue lost their 15th consecutive toss. New Zealand opted to bat and were without the leading wicket-taker, Matt Henry.
It was a brilliant start by the Kiwis. They posted 57 runs on the board inside the first eight overs. Ravindra was timing the ball well and New Zealand were heading to a big total.
Spinning masterclass
The pacers were getting smashed all over the park. Rohit introduced Varun Chakaravarthy to the attack. The mystery spinner brought India back into the game by taking out Will Young. New Zealand were 69 for one in 10 overs.
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Kuldeep came into the attack and knocked out Ravindra with a googly. He then removed Kane Williamson with a brilliant caught and bowled. The spinners added continuous pressure by stopping runs and making crucial breakthroughs.
Daryl Mitchell scored 63 runs but took 101 balls. Glenn Phillips added 34 to the team’s total. Michael Bracewell added 53 in just 40 balls to take his side to a respectable total of 251 runs for the loss of seven wickets.
Kuldeep and Varun took two wickets each. Shami and Jadeja added one-wicket to the team’s total.
Rohit masterminds the chase
Rohit Sharma continued playing his fearless cricket. He took on the Kiwis and gave India a brilliant start. India scored 64 runs in the batting powerplay. Both Rohit and Gill created a 100-run stand for the first wicket. This was crucial in building momentum in a crucial game.
New Zealand spinners brought the team back into the game. Santner took out Gill on 31. Michael Bracewell was good with both bat and ball. He took Kohli’s wicket on just one run. Rohit also followed them after scoring a brilliant 76. India were 122 for three in 26.1 overs. New Zealand bowlers were adding dot ball pressure on the Indian batters.
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The middle order stayed calm, especially, Shreyas Iyer. He scored 48 runs and had a crucial partnership with Axar. KL Rahul also played a crucial cameo of 34 runs. Hardik and Jadeja also added a few runs in the chase. India managed to win the match with four wickets in hand. Both Santner and Bracewell took two wickets each but failed to take their team over the line. Rohit won the man of the match for his superb knock.
Rachin Ravindra – Player of the Series
25-year-old Rachin Ravindra had an outstanding campaign. The left-handed batting all-rounder won the player of the series award for scoring 263 runs in just four innings. He averaged 65.75 and scored two centuries. Ravindra also took three wickets in the tournament. However, his 37 runs and a wicket in the final were not enough to take New Zealand over the line.
