The Celebrations
A political reporter in India, who does not follow cricket much, described the celebratory scenes in India last night in an evocative manner (translated from Hindi):
“I don’t watch cricket, but the drumbeats all around my house have compelled me to passively follow the game today. The enthusiasm around me is amazing, and so is the confidence that India will win—‘Jeetega bhai Jeetega, India Jeetega!’ This is a great reflection of how cricket binds everyone. Amazing! Again, the drum beats—looks like India is close to victory, or has India already won? Just hearing the drums and trying to imagine what’s happening on the field is akin to being part of the game. Now people have started chanting and singing, congratulations all over—We have won! The fireworks in the sky have conveyed this good news! What an amazing celebration—and what a match it was.”
And what a match indeed! It had all the hallmarks of a grand final, with two deserving teams battling it out at the top, each boasting similar depth and firepower in batting and a strong spin attack. While New Zealand had a slight edge in fielding, India carried the quiet confidence of having convincingly beaten the Kiwis in the league stages.
Kiwis in a Spin Strangle
The Kiwis got off to a flying start in the Powerplay, with Rachin Ravindra and Will Young playing exquisite shots that rattled the Indian pacers. Forced to adjust, the Indian captain turned to his spin arsenal as early as the sixth over. However, the Kiwi pair continued their aggressive approach. Two early chances were put down—Shami missed a return catch off his own bowling, and Shreyas Iyer couldn’t hold onto a deep-field opportunity.
Then, lady luck smiled upon India—Varun trapped Young plumb in front of the wicket, Kuldeep Yadav bamboozled Rachin with a wrong-un on the very first ball of his spell, and Kane Williamson lobbed a simple catch back to Kuldeep. At 75/3 after 12 overs, the Kiwis were forced into damage control, and the next 30 overs saw India’s spin quartet choking the run flow effectively. New Zealand managed 251 on the board—a respectable total but far from the 300 that looked likely during the Powerplay. India’s spinners bowled 38 overs collectively, conceding just 144 runs and picking up five wickets. In stark contrast, the two Indian pacers leaked 104 runs in just 12 overs!
The Thrilling Chase
India needed 252 runs to clinch the trophy, but with New Zealand’s exceptional fielding, the target felt more like 275. India’s captain set the tone early, dispatching the second delivery for a six. Shubman Gill played second fiddle in the Powerplay while his captain notched up a quick half-century in style.
New Zealand missed the services of the injured Matt Henry, forcing their captain to introduce spin in an attempt to control the scoring. Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra tried to stem the run flow, but India’s opening pair continued to dominate, reaching a 100-run partnership in no time, making the chase look one-sided.
But the Kiwis had other plans. Glenn Phillips took a stunning catch off Santner’s bowling to dismiss Gill, giving New Zealand a crucial breakthrough. Soon after, the big moment arrived—Virat Kohli played across the line and was dismissed. Suddenly, the game shifted gears. Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer adopted a more cautious approach for the next few overs, but just as they looked to accelerate, Rohit fell for 76 while attempting a big heave off Rachin.
At this stage, India still needed 130 runs from 24 overs. With the match hanging in the balance, the depth of India’s batting lineup was put to the test. Shreyas, KL Rahul, and the trio of all-rounders—Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja—held their nerves, guiding India to victory with just six balls to spare. The Kiwis gave it their all and played outstanding cricket throughout the tournament, but once again, they found themselves on the losing side.
And for the Records
- 73 – The most overs of spin bowled in an ICC tournament ODI game
- 3 – The most ICC Champions Trophy wins, now held by India
- 23 matches won, 1 lost – India’s record in the last three ICC white-ball tournaments, with just one unfortunate loss standing out
A Team Effort
While statistics highlight individual performances, the true success of this Indian team lay in its collective spirit. Shreyas Iyer was India’s highest run-scorer, Gill and Kohli notched up crucial big scores, the spinners maintained discipline, Shami bagged a five-wicket haul early in the tournament, and the captain reserved his best for the grand finale.
In the words of Michael Jordan: “Talent can win you games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” This Indian team proved just that!
Author: Sanjay Khanna
The author is an avid fan who loves cricket stats and records and believes ODI cricket will ultimately survive the challenge posted by T20 cricket.
