After the captain departed, the onus fell on Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel. By that time, the New Zealand spinners started dominating and that kept the Indian batters in check. They struggled to rotate the strike for quite some time but the occasional boundaries helped the team stay in the right momentum. Meanwhile, Iyer, who looked settled at one point, departed for 48 runs and Axar soon followed suit, having made 29.
After they went back to the pavilion, KL Rahul wreaked havoc, scoring an unbeaten 34 runs to help India win the match with only six balls remaining.
Interestingly, after the win, senior batters Rohit and Virat were spotted playing Dandiya in the wicket. Under their leadership, India suffered several heartbreaks in the last decade but in 2024, they won the T20 World Cup together and managed to keep up with the spirit to get the job done in the Champions Trophy as well.
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After the win, Virat noted that there was immense talent in the dressing room and added that some or the other cricketer always stepped up to help the team win the game in any situation. He also mentioned that he was happy to share the experience with the youngsters and added that it’s what makes the Indian team extremely strong.
“It's been amazing, we wanted to bounce back after a tough Australian tour, and wanted to win a big tournament, so to win the Champions Trophy is amazing. So much talent in the dressing room, they're trying to take their game further and we're just happy to be of help (role of the seniors), sharing our experience and that's what makes this Indian team so strong. These are the things you want to play (for titles), playing under pressure and putting your hand up. The whole team, everyone has put their hands up sometimes or other (during the course of the tournament), everyone has put up impactful performances, we've been part of an amazing team,” Virat said.
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