Hindustan’s 3rd Trophy

By V.N. Prasad

Heartiest congratulations to our boys on lifting the coveted ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in the desert and going ‘undefeated.’ A tournament full of delightful encounters, shocks and surprises; all that generally go into a World Stage like this. I waste no time in acknowledging the wonderful/ competent exhibition provided by the Kiwis, a country of merely 5.30 Million, highly professional and dignified in defeat, this time and every time. Gentlemen. They have earned the reputation on and off the field. God bless them going forward.

The Championship consisted of 14 delightful centuries and 27 Half Centuries — plus many other useful knocks. It was all a treat to watch. Rain Gods could have been a little merciful. Change of venues between Pakistan and Dubai gave rise to a few avoidable controversies. Anyway, we now focus on the finals.

The ‘Square’ at the Dubai International Cricket Ground looked like a sheet of ‘White Sand,’ with very little grass, full of Alligator Cracks, Uneven Bounce, Hard to predict and difficult for the batsmen to stroke. Classic example was the dismissal of Kane Williamson. He could have sipped a hot cup of tea before the ball came on to the bat. Reportedly, 260 was the highest run chase here in the last 15 years or so. No wonder. Not that there were no good knocks at all. Much unlike the earlier times, we enjoy high ‘Strike Rates’ and dramatic chases. Imagine a Daryl Mitchell scoring 63 off 101 or a Glenn Phillips 34 off 52 or 76 off 83 by Rohit Sharma. All of these speak of the deck. Trust me. Psychological adjustments in playing one match at Lahore (per say) and the next at Dubai is taxing. That said, should ICC go deep into conversations with future sponsors, evaluate geo political situations and ensure fair conditions to the players and for all of us and decide.

In full knowledge of all of the above, Rohit went Hammer & Tongs from the word go. Admittedly, we were able to win largely on account of an excellent opening partnership of 105; where Rohit dominated with fearless knock. Deservedly so, he was the ‘Man of the Match.’

That shifts my focus to the ‘Player of the Tournament,’ Rachin Ravindra. A pleasant youngster. Loves stroking the ball with fluent drives, flicks and pulls. Can unsettle the bowlers quickly. His 112 off 105 against Bangladesh and 108 off 101 against South Africa were delightful to watch. In the finals, Rachin looked all set for another big knock before he was castled by Kuldeep. I wondered if it was Kuldeep’s beauty that did him in or was Rachin grossly wrong in going back to a FULL-LENGTH delivery. Probably the latter. Anyway, Rachin deserved the honours.

Well, it is worth discussing a few matches and players along the Championship. Reminiscing the event in detail, Australia came in with a highly depleted team. Imagine their bowling without Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon (he should have come). They mauled the English at Lahore, overhauling a massive 351, with 15 balls to spare. 120 off 86 by Josh Inglis @ 140 strike rate, with 6 Sixes, was a treat to watch. He virtually camouflaged the brilliant 165 off 143 by Ben Duckett @ 116. Just observe the strike rates and totals in comparison to the desert deck.

I felt extremely sorry for the English. They had a good side. Buckled to pressures too many times. Worst was when Afghanistan beat them hollow. It was the fierce and delightful knock of Ibrahim Zadran — 177 off 146, Six 6s @ 121 strike rate — that laid a solid foundation of 325. A cautious but a beautifully crafted 120 by Joe Root went in vain, as the Afghans won by 8 runs to leave the Englishmen yellow-faced. In utter humiliation, I could see tears in Root’s eyes. Can you imagine a strong English side returning home with ZERO points. Unbelievable.

Coming to the Indian Squad, the opening partnership was here and there. Middle order looks solid with Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya. Whereas Shreyas looks capable of mixing caution and aggression, Axar and Hardik are effective but a little impetuous. Finishing is an art. Rush of the blood takes better of the individual at times. Example, Axar and Hardik in the finals. Redeeming aspect is that K.L. Rahul (my favourite) has come out of the woods and has been finishing matches in style. He seems well settled at No. 6. Good for him and the team. Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav have struck impressively, well supported by Axar and Jaddu. With 3/4 good spinners, two good seamers are good (Am reminded of our great foursome — Bedi, Prasanna, Chandra and Venkat).

Before I sign off, I would like to say a few words about the presentation ceremony — post the finals.

1. The team on the central stage consisted of only FOUR eminent personalities, directly connected to the Championship.

2. Not a single representation from the Government of the United Arab Emirates (just imagine in India. All Toms, Dicks and Harries would have crowded).

3. Sadly, there was NONE from the Pakistan Cricket Board. After all, they were the hosts, geopolitical compulsions resulting in the final played at Dubai notwithstanding.

Well, all over now, in so far as ICC ODI Championship is concerned. We all now await the IPL, commencing on 22.3.2025. We want to watch good games. God bless one and all.