The India teams lift the ICC Champions Trophy for a record 3rd time after a victory over New Zealand by 4 wickets in the final match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium last night.
The Ravindra Jadeja struck the winning shot, sending the crowd into a frenzy of jubilation. KL Rahul remained unbeaten on 34 runs while Ravindra Jadeja made contribution of 9 runs at the toe end of the innings. India had previously won the tournament in 2002 and 2013.
Chasing a target of 252 runs in the summit clash, India began their chase aggressively, but New Zealand struck back with disciplined bowling. The pitch remained on the slower side, with the ball gripping and stopping, making stroke play challenging. Skipper Rohit Sharma was declared Player of the Match and New Zealand player Rachin Ravindra was declared Player of the Series. For New Zealand, Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell took two wickets each while Kyle Jamieson and Rachin Ravindra claimed a wicket each.
The opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill provided a blistering start, stitching together a 105-run partnership for the first wicket. World No. 1 batter Shubman Gill fought hard for his 31 before Glenn Phillips took a stunning catch at extra cover. Soon after, star batter Virat Kohli was trapped LBW by Michael Bracewell for just one run. Rohit, who got off the blocks quickly, registered his first fifty of the championship but was eventually stumped for 76 after New Zealand built pressure with a series of dot balls. The duo of Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer offered resistance after a few tight overs in between. Iyer eventually got out for 48 runs to Rachin Ravindra, trying to keep up with the run rate. While, Axar contributed with the cameo of 29 runs, before falling to Bracewell. Hardik Pandya also contributed with a quickfire 18 before getting out. After that, it was merely a formality as India wrapped up the match in no time, securing a memorable victory.
