Champions in Blue – The Tribune
After the spinners did their job to limit New Zealand to a below-par score, the batters executed a composed chase to end India’s 12-year wait for the Champions Trophy title.
Chasing a 252-run target on a tricky wicket, India overcame a disciplined effort from New Zealand’s spinners to register a four-wicket win at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
A stunning innings by captain Rohit Sharma laid the foundation for the team’s win, and the middle-order carried forward the momentum to make the evening unforgettable for the Indian fans.
Just like their run to the ICC 2024 T20 World Cup title, India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.
India completed the chase with six balls to spare after Rohit (76 off 83 balls) and Shreyas Iyer (48 off 62 balls) shone with the bat. Axar Patel (29 off 40 balls), KL Rahul (34 off 33 balls) and Hardik Pandya (18 off 18) also chipped in with crucial innings.
Rohit reached his half-century in 41 balls, with five fours and three sixes. The Hitman continued collecting boundaries against the spinners as India reached the 100-run mark in 17 overs. The 105-run stand between Rohit and Shubman Gill (31) ended with the former falling prey to Mitchell Santner.
Soon, Michael Bracewell got the big wicket of Virat Kohli for just 1. Spinners led the fighback, with Rachin Ravindra removing Sharma. Iyer and Patel then stitched a partnership, with Iyer finding some timely boundaries and taking India to the 150-run mark in 32.5 overs. Kiwis made a comeback as Santner accounted for Iyer. India’s run-chase encountered another hiccup, with Patel throwing away his wicket. Pandya and Rahul kept the score ticking with relative ease before Ravindra Jadeja hit the winning runs with a four.
Earlier, despite India losing their 15th straight toss and New Zealand making a fast start, the Men in Blue pegged the opposition back with disciplined bowling in the middle overs. It was all well for the Kiwis until openers Will Young and Ravindra were at the crease. The duo scored 50 in just 42 balls. Rohit introduced Varun Chakravarthy in the 6th over and the mystery spinner trapped Young (15) lbw. Kuldeep Yadav bowled Ravindra (37 off 29 balls) with his first ball in the 11th over.
Yadav struck again to dismiss former skipper Kane Williamson (11). Daryl Mitchell (63 off 101 balls) rose to the occasion and managed to keep the scoreboard ticking against the four-pronged Indian spin attack. Later, Bracewell’s unbeaten 53 off 43 balls helped New Zealand get past the 250 mark.
Brief scores: New Zealand: 251/7 in 50 overs (Mitchell 63, Bracewell 53*; Kuldeep 2/40, Varun 2/45); India: 254/6 in 49 overs (Rohit 76, Shreyas 48; Bracewell 2/28, Santner 2/46)
