Champions Trophy win resets expectations from senior players

The credit for the victory goes solely to team effort rather than any individual player’s superlative performance, though the seniors did well

The 2025 Champions Trophy triumph ends India’s 12-year barren run for ICC silverware in ODIs and, for a change, the credit goes solely to team effort rather than any individual player’s superlative performance. Virat Kohli got a match-winning 100 against Pakistan, but it was Shreyas Iyer (with a total of 243 runs scored, at an average of 48.60 per match) who emerged as India’s highest scorer with a consistent run throughout the tournament. In bowling, after being on the bench for the first two matches, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy (nine wickets) ended the tournament as India’s highest wicket-taker alongside Mohammed Shami. They were closely followed by wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav (seven wickets).

Whether or not Kohli and Sharma can emerge on top two years from now, when the World Cup is due, is a matter of conjecture. But the voices calling for their retirement have been shushed for now (AP)

All-rounders Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel gave India the luxury of going in with four spin options. While Chakravarthy and Yadav went for the wickets, Patel and Jadeja restricted the batters. Pandya’s medium pace bowling allowed India to go in with just one frontline pacer. The bonus of this combination was that India batted deep — they had someone like Jadeja come in at number 8.

But the Champions Trophy is a pit-stop before the big showdown — the 2027 ODI World Cup to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The wickets and the long boundaries in Dubai, where India played all its Champions Trophy matches, assisted spinners, but the conditions in Africa will be very different. This means the current combination may have to be reworked.

The Champions Trophy victory will quieten voices bellowing for the heads of seniors, Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma, demanding that they retire after Test series defeats at home to New Zealand and abroad to Australia. Whether or not Kohli and Sharma can emerge on top two years on is a matter of conjecture, but these voices have been shushed for now.