Runs from, among others, Shreyas Iyer and Kl Rahul on slow pitches of Dubai contributed enormously to the title -winning run of India on the Champions Trophy 2025. After a roller coaster year when he won the IPL and dropped from the central contracts, Iyer has shown his value to the team. 1983 World Cup winner Dilip Vengsarkar, who has also been a BCCI head of selector, could not be more satisfied for the start of the middle order.
“Iyer did very well, but I was not happy with the way he got out in the final. He should have continued until the end and finished the game. But glad to see him realized his potential. KL also played a few important innings on number six, but still not convinced that Axar Patel hit him at five o'clock.
Vengsarkar also gave the necessary credit to the selection panel led by Ajit Agarkar.
“Credit also has to go to the selectors. They stayed with Rohit after the Australia series. Even the decision to take five spinners in the team turned out to be a master -stroke,” he added.
Iyer finished as the best Run scorer of India in the competition with 243 runs in five games, including successive half centuries against Pakistan and New Zealand in the group phase. He played an important knock of 48 runs in the final and played a key role in India that came up on the spider challenge on the slow pitches of Dubai.
“If you see that you are the highest run-getter for the team, I think there is no better feeling than that. The feeling is surreal. But I feel that I could have completed the game (final).
“But you know what the game wants to complete the game for the team at the end of the day. I would take this on a certain day, and I am very happy the way every person contributed to the team's victory,” he added.
Iyer also landed a place in Champions Trophy's team from the tournament next to Virat Kohli, Kl Rahul, Mohammed Shami and Varun Chakaravarthy. “Winning my first ICC trophy, I think it is generally a brilliant feeling. This is the fifth title for me in a year, and serious, grateful and blessed,” he concluded.
With Ians -input
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