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India's skipper Rohit Sharma put an end to all the speculations around his retirement, after leading his team to a historic ICC Champions Trophy 2025 victory against New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday.
With this historic win, Rohit Sharma became only the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni to lead India to 2 ICC titles, after narrowly missing out on the ultimate prize in 2023 ODI World Cup. He is also the only captain in the world to lead his team to the finals of all ICC championships. Leading from the front, Rohit played a match-winning knock of 76, earning him the Player of the Match award as India secured a four-wicket win to claim their third Champions Trophy title. "Just to clarify, I am not retiring. Please do not spread any rumours," he stated in the post-match press conference. This comes as speculations were long going on about whether the stalwart India captain, who has led Team India to 2 ICC titles, will finally hang off his boots after Champions Trophy win. Skipper Rohit Sharma played a pivotal role, scoring a match-winning 76, which earned him the Player of the Match award. Alongside fine contributions from Shreyas Iyer and standout performances from spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, India dominated the contest to seal the trophy. India etched their name in history by securing their third ICC Champions Trophy title with a commanding four-wicket win over New Zealand in the final in Dubai on Sunday. With this victory, India became the first team to win the ICC Champions Trophy three times, further solidifying their dominance in global white-ball cricket. Coming to the match, New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first. Kiwis got off to a fine start with a 57-run stand between Will Young (15) and Rachin Ravindra (37 in 29 balls, with four boundaries and a six). However, Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) applied some breaks and reduced NZ to 75/3. A 57-run stand between Daryl Mitchell (63 in 101 balls, with three fours) and Michael Bracewell pushed Kiwis towards 150-plus runs. Bracewell played a fine hand of 53* in 40 balls, with three fours and two sixes, taking NZ to 251/7 in their 50 overs. Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/45) were top wicket-takers for India. Mohammed Shami also took a wicket, but conceded 74 runs in his nine overs. During the run-chase, India had a fine 105-run stand to start off things, between skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill (31 in 50 balls, with a six). While Gill, Virat and eventually Rohit (76 in 83 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) lost their wickets quickly, leaving India at 122/3, Shreyas Iyer (48 in 62 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Axar Patel (29 in 40 balls, with a four and six) stitched a 61-run stand. After India lost Axar following crossing of 200-run mark, KL Rahul (34* in 33 balls, with a four and a six) and Hardik Pandya (18) did their job of taking India to the finishing line with six wickets and an over left. Michael Bracewell (2/28) and Mitchell Santner (2/46) were top wicket-takers for NZ. (ANI)
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