Glenn Phillips defies gravity, pulls off yet another blinder; Shubman Gill left shell-shocked in Champions Trophy final
India vs New Zealand, Champions Trophy 2025 final: Glenn Phillips took a blinder to send Shubman Gill back to the hut.
It took some Glenn Phillips magic for New Zealand to get back into the ICC Men's Champions Trophy final against India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were coasting along in the chase of 252, putting on more than 100 runs for the opening wicket. However, Phillips, the standout fielder in the eight-team competition, pulled off yet another blinder to help the Kiwis get their first wicket and see the back of Shubman Gill.
On the fourth ball of the 19th over, Glenn Phillips flew in the air to grab the ball out of nowhere, leaving Shubman Gill shell-shocked. Off the bowling of Mitchell Santner, Gill drove the ball towards cover as it was a well-flighted delivery.
The ball seemed to be speeding away, but Glenn Phillips made his presence felt, leaping across, going one-handed and plucking the ball out of thin air. This resulted in Shubman Gill walking back for 31 runs off 50 balls.
Phillips was chuffed to bits and was quite impressed with his own effort. This is the third stunner that Phillips has taken in the Champions Trophy 2025 edition. He had taken spectacular catches earlier, dismissing Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan and India's Virat Kohli.
This stunner resulted in India's 105-run opening stand ending and bringing the Kiwis back into the contest.
One brings two
In the next over, Michael Bracewell dismissed India's No.3 Virat Kohli, and New Zealand firmly got back in the contest. The right-handed batter failed to read the ball's trajectory and was hit on the pads.
The umpire raised his finger without hesitation. After deliberating with Rohit, Kohli decided to take a review. However, the replays vindicated the on-field call, and Kohli had to walk back.
The former India captain lasted just two balls in the middle, scoring one run. Kohli needed 46 runs in the final to become the leading run-scorer in the history of the Champions Trophy. Had he scored 55 runs, he would have become the second-highest run-scorer in ODIs, going past Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara.
Earlier, New Zealand posted 251/7 in 50 overs after opting to bat first. Daryl Mitchell top-scored for the Kiwis, while Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav returned with two wickets for India.
