India claimed its third ICC Champions Trophy title on Sunday with a four-wicket win over New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Rohit Sharma led India’s 252-run chase with his 76 runs off 83 deliveries while Shreyas Iyer and K.L. Rahul played useful essays in the middle order. With the ball, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav picked two wickets each to restrict the Kiwis to a below-par score.
The Men in Blue ended their campaign with a perfect record, winning all five games through the nearly three-week long tournament. India had been unbeaten during its Champions Trophy victories in 2013 and 2002 also.
India picked up wins over Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand in the group stage before beating Australia and New Zealand in the semifinal and final, respectively.
Sporstar takes you through the Indian team and how each player performed in the tournament:
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma played the enforcer at the top once again. Though he scored just 180 runs in five innings, he took the onus to give India explosive starts. His strike rate in the tournament was 100.
His only half-century came in the most important match—the final—where his freewheeling strokes helped India to 64/0 in the PowerPlay.
Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill started the tournament with a century (101* off 129 balls), and followed it up with a 46 against Pakistan. However, his returns tapered off in the remaining matches.
He was heading to another half-century in the final before a blinder from Glenn Phillips ended his essay on 31. However, his 100-run partnership with Rohit laid the plaform for India’s chase.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli scored 218 runs in the Champions Trophy including a century against Pakistan in the group stage. However, it was his 84-run knock against Australia that shone and served a reminder of his prowess in chasing totals in the 50-over format.
During the tournament, Kohli also became the fastest batter to complete 14,000 runs in ODIs.
Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer was India’s anchor through the middle overs. He scored 243 runs at an average of 48.6 and was India’s leading run-scorer in the tournament. His fluency in playing spin came to the fore in Dubai as he struck two fifties through the group stage, against Pakistan and New Zealand.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul played the role of India’s finisher to perfection. He scored just 142 runs in four innings but remained unbeaten in three of those. He scored an unbeaten 42 against Australia and took India over the line in the semifinal.
In the title clash, Rahul once again walked in a pressure situation and saw India through to the title with 34 runs off just 33 balls.
Axar Patel
Axar Patel was the quintessential utility player for India through the Champions Trophy. He scored 109 runs in five innings and took five wickets with an economy of 4.35.
He made a seamless jump to number five in the batting order and stitched valuable partnerships through the middle order.
Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja was part of the four-pronged spin attack that thrived on the slow pitch in Dubai. He bowled 42 overs in five games and picked five wickets with an economy of 4.35.
With the bat, he scored 27 runs in three innings and ended unbeaten in two of them.
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya’s services were needed more with the bat than the ball. Once Varun Chakaravarthy was slotted into the lineup, Pandya was only needed as a support pacer for Mohammed Shami through the PowerPlay. He picked four wickets but conceded at 5.83 an over.
However, he was clinical in helping India in its run chases. His 18 and 28 against New Zealand and Australia, respectively, were crucial in nervy chases in the knockout matches. He also scored 45 runs against the Kiwis in the group stage.
Mohammed Shami
The Champions Trophy was Mohammed Shami’s first major international assignment after coming back from his knee injury.
He started the tournament with a five-wicket haul against Bangladesh, also completing 200 wickets in ODIs for India. However, he was able to pick in the next two group games. He fired back to form with 3/48 against Australia in the semifinal before taking one wicket in the final.
Despite the nine wickets, his economy rate, especially in the final (8.22), pinched India on a few occasions.
Varun Chakaravarthy
Varun Chakaravarthy was brought in to the Indian side in the group stage match against New Zealand to bolster India’s spin attack on the slow Dubai wicket. He made instant impact by picking a five-wicket (5/42) haul against the Kiwis.
The picked two wickets apiece in the semifinal and final, and ended as the second-highest wicket-taker with a miserly economy rate of 4.53.
Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav was the second-highest wicket-taker for India in the Champions Trophy, picking seven wickets in five games at an average of 31.85.
He blanked in the opener against Bangladesh but fired back with 3/40 that broke the back of Pakistan in the first innings. His two wickets in the final also proved vital as he sent Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson packing.
Harshit Rana
Harshit Rana played just two games in this Champions Trophy but made an impact with his wicket-taking ability. He started the tournament with three wickets against Bangladesh and then picked one more versus archrival Pakistan.
What impressed the most was his economy rate of under four runs an over in the 15 overs he bowled.
(Note: Rishabh Pant, Arshdeep Singh, and Washington Sundar did not feature in any game)