An ICC Trophy in the ODI format has finally come home for the Indian Cricket Team. The Men in Blue went on to beat New Zealand in the finals of the ICC Champions Trophy to lift their second straight ICC Trophy within a span of a year. The prangs of the ODI World Cup 2023 still hurt, but Indian captain Rohit Sharma has claimed that he wanted to get results playing differently.
“It feels very nice. We played some really good cricket through the tournament, to come out and have the result our way is a great feeling, very happy with how we played this game. It is not natural to me but it is something I really wanted to do, when you are trying something different you need the backing of the team and they were with me, Rahul bhai in the 2023 World Cup and now with Gauti bhai. I have played all these years in a different style, I wanted to see if we can get results by playing differently,” Rohit Sharma said after winning the Champions Trophy.
Amazing to bounce back
Ace Indian batter Virat Kohli too had a brilliant campaign throughout the series. Though he managed to score just 1 run in the final, it was his decisive knocks against Pakistan and Australia which helped in the team lifting the silverware. Kohli spoke how it was important for the team to win a big tournament after the Border Gavaskar Trophy loss.
It’s been amazing, we wanted to bounce back after a tough Australian tour, and wanted to win a big tournament, so to win the Champions Trophy is amazing. Lovely playing with a bunch of such amazing youngsters. So much talent in the dressing room, they’re taking Indian cricket further in the right direction. We’re happy to share our experience and try to make an impact whenever we get a chance (role of the seniors) but these guys are stepping up in a massive way and that’s why we’re such a strong team,” Virat Kohli said.
Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya spoke about how the previous loss in the 2017 Champions Trophy to Pakistan felt personal. As a result, he is happy with the team’s success and how every player contributed to India lifting the trophy.
“It’s always amazing to win an ICC tournament, especially the Champions Trophy. 2017 was close to my heart. We couldn’t finish the job that time. Pleased with how everyone contributed this time,” Hardik Pandya concluded.
