Mumbai: November 19th, 2023, was a horror day for Indian cricket team and its skipper Rohit Sharma after the humiliating ODI World Cup final loss to Australia in Ahmedabad. After over 15 months and a fair amount of fat-shaming, ‘Mumbaicha Raja’ resurrected his peak form with a domineering 76, as he helped India clinch its third ICC Champions Trophy title.
In front of a boisterous crowd teeming with men and women in blue, Rohit put New Zealand’s bowling attack to the sword giving them a dream start which ensured the highest opening partnership of the tournament of 105 runs with Shubman Gill.
A chase of 252 looked easy on a pitch that didn’t give much turn, but a gritty New Zealand ensured that it wasn’t a cakewalk. Team India, too, had their share of hiccups when they lost three quick wickets and were tying themselves into knots at 122/3 but Shreyas Iyer (48), Axar Patel (29), KL Rahul (33) and Hardik Pandya (18) ensured they were not left licking the bottom of the barrel.
After Rohit fell for an explosive 83-ball 76, there was a palpable nervous energy in India’s chase. But given the enviable batting depth, they got over the line with an over to spare. Rohit’s counter-attack came after the Indian spinners led by Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav held the Kiwis in a tenacious hold as they plucked five wickets in the middle overs to kill the scoring opportunities.
It was only a late flourish from Michael Bracewell (53) that helped New Zealand get to a competitive 251/7 in 50 overs. Of late, Rohit has been a talking point for all the wrong reasons. But the fa(c)t of the matter is he is the only captain to make it to the finals of all four major ICC tournaments; also, with the Mumbaikar clinching two out of four, it leaves little residue room for doubt or murmur.
