Captain Rohit Sharma shattered a monumental record, becoming the first captain in cricket history to reach the final of every ICC tournament
Virat Kohli gestures after the fall of an Australian wicket during CT semi-final (Pic: AFP)
Following India’s emphatic victory over Australia in the semi-final, former cricketer Jatin Paranjape expressed his excitement over the ‘Men in Blue’s triumph, lauded Virat Kohli’s match-winning innings, and voiced his optimism for an ICC title win.
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Captain Rohit Sharma shattered a monumental record, becoming the first captain in cricket history to reach the final of every ICC tournament. India's commanding win also secured their fifth Champions Trophy final appearance, no other team has managed more than three.
Hailing India’s clinical execution, Paranjape told Mid-Day: “Beating Australia is always a very tall order but India executed their strategy with clinical measure to march into the final. Shami at the top was at his best and showed that he can be relied upon to shoulder the weight of the entire bowling attack. He is bowling with genuine pace and improved accuracy. Varun Chakaravarthy is a huge embellishment to India’s already strong spin prowess and has a fantastic future ahead of him. He will be a big asset as India prepares its 2027 World Cup Plan. With the bat Rohit Sharma is looking very focussed and aggressive at the same time. A big score in the final from him will not surprise me one bit. Kohli and Iyer played well together and this is probably the biggest take away for India. If they can bat for a number of middle overs, then that set the stall up for a successful promotion for Axar to number 6. All in all, a super execution by India against a dreaded team."
Match recap
Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. After losing Cooper Connolly early, Travis Head (39 off 33, four fours, two sixes) built a 50-run partnership with Steve Smith. Smith continued his innings, forging crucial half-century stands with Marnus Labuschagne (29 off 36, two fours, one six) and Alex Carey (61 off 57, eight fours, one six). Carey held the innings together until the 48th over when a stunning direct hit from Shreyas Iyer ended his knock.
Australia was eventually bowled out for 264 in 49.3 overs.
Mohammed Shami (3/48) led the bowling attack with a fiery spell, while Varun Chakravarthy (2/49) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/40) spun a web around the Aussies. Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya chipped in with a wicket each.
Chasing 265, India suffered early setbacks, losing skipper Rohit Sharma (28 off 29, three fours, one six) and Shubman Gill (8) to find themselves at 43/2. However, a 91-run stand between Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer (45 off 62, three fours) steadied the ship. Kohli further built a 44-run partnership with Axar Patel (27 off 30, one four, one six) and a crucial 47-run stand with KL Rahul (42* off 34, two fours, two sixes).
Hardik Pandya played a blistering cameo, smashing 28 off 24 balls, including a four and three sixes, sealing India’s victory. The team reached 267/6 in 48.1 overs, booking their place in the final.
Nathan Ellis (2/48) and Adam Zampa (2/60) were the pick of the Australian bowlers, but India’s dominance proved too strong to contain.
(With inputs from agencies)
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