New Delhi: Pop the cork, sip the bubbly, say cheers to Team India. On a magical Sunday night in Dubai, led by Hitman Rohit Sharma, India beat New Zealand by four wickets to lift the Champions Trophy.
Emotions overflowed as India triumphed against the Black Caps in a contest where the pressure was like a pressure cooker on high flame. There were hiccups, and there were tense moments. But in the end, the way Rohit scripted this victory is going to be remembered for ages to come. As crackers dotted the skyline and emotions overflowed, history will tell how India are the kings in white ball cricket. They had won the ICC T20 World Cup in June in the West Indies.
Under fire, under pressure, under criticism for being lax, overweight and even casual, Rohit turned destroyer as he batted with aggression to script the chase under the arc lights. It is Rohit’s template, his style, speed and power. Like a Formula One car on the track eating up the miles below, when Rohit bats, it’s all about slam bang, whiz thud. He has been under fire for not scoring in earlier matches, despite setting a hot pace. But then, for a man who knows more than a thing or two about how to light up the proceedings in white ball cricket, Rohit cracked shots. There was a thwack as he timed his shots so well, be it the sixes when he took the aerial route or the fours which flowed on the green carpet.
For India to win this desert duel is a big deal. The sea of blue inside the stadium was a sight to behold. Fans were screaming. They had come to see India win and the script enacted was brilliant. It was led by Rohit Sharma, assisted by coach Gautam Gambhir, but if there were heroes, there were so many with bat and ball. This is ODI cricket, where one player alone cannot always make a mark. The lousy luck with the toss for Rohit continued, as the Kiwis chose to bat. India bowled well, that is the spinners, since Mohd Shami and Hardik Pandya were ineffective. Shami was costly as well. But then, India has packed themselves with an assortment of quality spinners.
Four spinners were indeed a luxury as India were able to tease and torment the Kiwis, though their tail wagged. One man who shone like a beacon was Kuldeep Yadav, whose spin was heady. His spell was mesmerising and penetrative. At the other end, there was mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy also showing that his guiles are most valuable in white ball cricket. Both Kuldeep and Varun grabbed two wickets each as India restricted NZ to 251. In fact, these were 20 runs extra, as at one stage, it looked India could have restricted the opponents to 230.
To be sure, the wicket was not an easy one. And under arc lights, the team batting second was not going to find it easy. Rohit and Shubman Gill batted solidly in the Power Play. But the real power was turbo charge batting and provided by Rohit (76 runs). He was on song, not bothered by anything at all. It was this destruction from Rohit which ensured the Kiwi bowling was
helter-skelter before the spinners came to bother India. Once Rohit got out and so did Gill, there was a hush when Virat Kohli got out early. It appeared whoever could handle the pressure would win the trophy.
Easier said than done, since the atmosphere inside the arena was amazing. Bleed blue was the colour and fans were screaming. But the way Shreyas Iyer, who has been sensational in this tournament, scored runs, was important. There is a calming influence when Shreyas is in the middle. Add to it the knocks from KL Rahul, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya, coming way down to handle the pressure from the Kiwi bowlers, India were on course. For some, the pressure was hard to handle sitting in the stands or watching on TV. Where New Zealand will rewind and find fault is how they lacked a quality attack in the last few overs. Their spinners had done the damage in key moments, but when it came to the last few overs, they fell short. Sadly, skipper Kane Williamson was watching from beyond the boundary, as he had sustained an injury during the course of the match.