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Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team defeated Mitchell Santner's New Zealand by a margin of 44 runs in the final group game of the ongoing edition of the ICC Champions Trophy which was being played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, on March 2 (Sunday). The Men in Blue topped the Group A with three consecutive wins. They had already sealed their spots in the semi-finals and will now be clashing against rivals Australia.
Shreyas Iyer's fighting fifty
India were in an unfamiliar position during this clash, unlike their previous first two games against Pakistan and Bangladesh as their top three, which includes Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, could not provide the team with a good start and set the base for a good score. Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry walked through the Indian top-order.
After their departure, Shreyas Iyer steadied the Indian ship. Iyer was in a slightly different circumstance because he had been cushioned by runs from the top three batters in the previous several games. In those games, it had allowed him to bat with a certain amount of freedom. He had to build the innings from the beginning in this situation, but he did it flawlessly, hitting 50 off 75 balls with a single off Rachin Ravindra.
Iyer occasionally displayed his natural flair by lofting pacer Will O'Rourke for a six-over long-on, while Axar provided him with good company on a sluggish surface. Iyer had the opportunity to score a century, but Young caught up a weak pull during O'Rourke's delivery within the covers.
Axar and Hardik make crucial contributions
Shreyas Iyer, who came in at number four, stabilized the innings with a crucial half-century despite the top-order collapse. However, Will O'Rourke eventually got rid of him in the 37th over, preventing him from reaching a triple-figure score. India concluded their innings with 249 runs for 9 wickets in their 50 overs. India achieved a respectable score under challenging circumstances because of some late heroics from Hardik Pandya with the bat.
Varun Chakravarthy takes fifer on Champions Trophy debut
The star Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who has been the Men in Blue's star pick in the white-ball format once again rose to the occasion and stole the show on his Champions Trophy debut. He took a fifer and rattled the Kiwi line-up. He dismissed Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, and Matt Henry.
Apart from Kane Williamson, who scored a fighting 81, was the lone warrior from their team. No other Kiwi batter could make good contributions and as a result India won the game by a massive margin of 44 runs.
