The Indian team completed the group stage task against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The Men in Blue registered victories in all three contests and are now ready for the semi-final against Australia. The team management took a big gamble by playing four spinners in the recent match, but it paid rich dividends in the end. Varun Chakravarthy was added to the playing group in place of pacer Harshit Rana, who was rested.
Varun proved unplayable, and the Kiwi’s batters failed to read his line and length at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. He picked up 5 wickets and deservedly walked away with the Player of the Match trophy. With a 44-run win over New Zealand, India look strong ahead of the knockout games. Batting first, Rohit Sharma’s team posted 249/9 and then restricted the rivals to 205.
Rohit Sharma was pleased with Varun. “He has got something different. If he pitches the ball in the right areas, he is not easy to play. Varun was superb with the ball; this is what you expect from a player. It is a good selection headache to have,” Rohit Sharma said.
“Finishing the game on a high against New Zealand was important. They are playing good cricket, and I thought our total was good enough. I was confident that our bowlers would be able to defend it,” he added.
Rohit also discussed the team’s semi-final against Australia. “Australia have a rich history in the ICC tournaments, but we will have to focus on our strengths and perform as a team against them. It will be a new contest from ball one,” he concluded.
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