India completed an unbeaten run to claim the Champions Trophy title for the first time in 12 years and an unprecedented third time in history after beating New Zealand in a thrilling finale at the Dubai International Stadium, Dubai, on Sunday. India captain Rohit Sharma roared back to form in style, scoring an impressive 76 as the Men in Blue chased down 252 with four wickets in hand and an over the spare.
The Indian players burst into jubilant celebrations in Dubai after Ravindra Jadeja smashed the winning boundary in the tense chase. It was for the second consecutive time India won an ICC trophy, having lifted the T20 World Cup last year in June in Barbados, thus confirming their greatness as a white-ball unit. India have now lost just one match in an ICC white-ball tournament in the last 24 completed games, the only defeat being in the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia.
Amid the celebrations, Rohit and head coach Gautam Gambhir were seen having an animated discussion with ICC chairman Jay Shah in a video that went viral on social media. Rohit was seen requesting Shah, asking him to dance. While the former BCCI secretary did not agree, Rohit did not take no for an answer, as he channelled his inner child to shake a leg with the ICC boss.
Rohit happy with how his team handled speculations
It has been a rocky run for the Indian team under head coach Gambhir. Test series losses against New Zealand and Australia, along with an ODI defeat in Sri Lanka, sparked ample speculations about the team management and some of the senior players, including Rohit. But the team bounced back amid the external pressure, and the 37-year-old reckoned it came from wholehearted trust in the process that the management set in place before this event.
{{/usCountry}}It has been a rocky run for the Indian team under head coach Gambhir. Test series losses against New Zealand and Australia, along with an ODI defeat in Sri Lanka, sparked ample speculations about the team management and some of the senior players, including Rohit. But the team bounced back amid the external pressure, and the 37-year-old reckoned it came from wholehearted trust in the process that the management set in place before this event.
{{/usCountry}}"Someone was telling me that we've lost only one game in the last three ICC tournaments. So, it's a great milestone to have. So, it shows a lot of quality in the team, a lot of depth, a lot of understanding within the group," skipper Rohit said after the title triumph on Sunday night.
"There's too much pressure from outside. If India loses one game. There's so much speculation that happens. But, the boys have actually managed to put that aside and focus on how to win games and how to enjoy the game," he added.