205/10 (45.3)
CRR : 4.51
249/9 (50.0)
CRR : 4.98
India won by 44 runs ๐
Player of the Match
Player
5/42
Player of the Match: Varun Chakaravarthy
Varun Chakaravarthy (Player of the Match): "First of all, I did feel nervous in the initial stages. I have not played much ODI for India but as the game started progressing, I felt better.
Everyone was talking to me during my spell and they were all saying just calm down, just calm down. That helped me a lot.
I found out last night that I will play today. I was definitely expecting to play for the country and I was looking forward to it. On the other side, I was feeling a bit nervous as well.
Yes, it was not a rank turner. If you bowl in the right areas, you will get turn. It was not just my own performance, the way Kuldeep bowled, Jaddu bowled and Axar bowled, it was a total team effort."
Everyone was talking to me during my spell and they were all saying just calm down, just calm down. That helped me a lot.
I found out last night that I will play today. I was definitely expecting to play for the country and I was looking forward to it. On the other side, I was feeling a bit nervous as well.
Yes, it was not a rank turner. If you bowl in the right areas, you will get turn. It was not just my own performance, the way Kuldeep bowled, Jaddu bowled and Axar bowled, it was a total team effort."
Mitchell Santner (New Zealand Captain): Obviously. It was a slower wicket than we expected. Credit to India as they controlled the middle phase. Excellent innings from Shreyas, he batted well and then Hardik finished off. Then they used the spinners to squeeze us.
Spun more than we thought, spun more than the other games here. Four quality spinners make it tough. The key for us was wickets in the powerplay. That was good to see. Kane's form is nice for us.
South Africa are a quality side. Our next game is in Lahore where Henry will be massive. On those wickets with some pace and bounce, we might have to play four pacers. We have to wait and see if it is a used surface.
(Chuckles) Ah, a flight at 12:30 AM. That is there. Probably, fly to Lahore and get a sleep before getting out for a practice session."
Spun more than we thought, spun more than the other games here. Four quality spinners make it tough. The key for us was wickets in the powerplay. That was good to see. Kane's form is nice for us.
South Africa are a quality side. Our next game is in Lahore where Henry will be massive. On those wickets with some pace and bounce, we might have to play four pacers. We have to wait and see if it is a used surface.
(Chuckles) Ah, a flight at 12:30 AM. That is there. Probably, fly to Lahore and get a sleep before getting out for a practice session."
Rohit Sharma (India Captain): "Yeah it was very important for us to finish off the group stages on a high. We played some good cricket in the recent past and it was good to defeat a quality side like New Zealand.
Yeah it was important at that stage. We knew that at that stage we required a partnership. We got a good enough total to defend the target. We have got a quality bowling attack, we had that confidence and the bowlers really stepped up and got the job done for us.
(On selecting Varun Chakaravarthy in the XI) No look, he has got something different about him. We wanted to try and see what he can offer. But it looks like he has a lot to offer. Obviously now it's a good headache to have in terms of team selection for the next game. But yeah, Varun was class today. If he gets it right, it's very difficult to read him.
Absolutely, it's very very critical to get things right in such a short tournament. You try and possibly win every single game. When you try to win, you will make mistakes as well. You need to rectify them quickly and I think we have done exactly that so far. That is where you know that your team is going up rather than down.
(Facing Australia in the Semis) No, it's going to be a good game. Obviously, Australia we all know has a rich history of playing ICC tournaments well and we do understand that. We want to get everything right on that particular day. As you said, it's going to be a great contest and we are looking forward to that."
Yeah it was important at that stage. We knew that at that stage we required a partnership. We got a good enough total to defend the target. We have got a quality bowling attack, we had that confidence and the bowlers really stepped up and got the job done for us.
(On selecting Varun Chakaravarthy in the XI) No look, he has got something different about him. We wanted to try and see what he can offer. But it looks like he has a lot to offer. Obviously now it's a good headache to have in terms of team selection for the next game. But yeah, Varun was class today. If he gets it right, it's very difficult to read him.
Absolutely, it's very very critical to get things right in such a short tournament. You try and possibly win every single game. When you try to win, you will make mistakes as well. You need to rectify them quickly and I think we have done exactly that so far. That is where you know that your team is going up rather than down.
(Facing Australia in the Semis) No, it's going to be a good game. Obviously, Australia we all know has a rich history of playing ICC tournaments well and we do understand that. We want to get everything right on that particular day. As you said, it's going to be a great contest and we are looking forward to that."
Mark your calendars, folks! The semi-final fixtures have been confirmed:
SF 1 - INDIA vs AUSTRALIA in Dubai on 4th March, 2025
SF 2 - SOUTH AFRICA vs NEW ZEALAND in Lahore on 5th March, 2025
SF 1 - INDIA vs AUSTRALIA in Dubai on 4th March, 2025
SF 2 - SOUTH AFRICA vs NEW ZEALAND in Lahore on 5th March, 2025
So, that is it from the group stages of Champions Trophy 2025! India remain unbeaten and secure the top spot in Group A, with New Zealand being the runners-up of the group. So, as mentioned just below, we have the semi-finals locked in. Don't forget to join us for that extravaganza.
For now, itโs time for us to take your leave. This is AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off, on behalf of my co-commentator Pritam Dey and scorer/analyst Raju Khariya. We will meet again. Until then, it's cheers!
For now, itโs time for us to take your leave. This is AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off, on behalf of my co-commentator Pritam Dey and scorer/analyst Raju Khariya. We will meet again. Until then, it's cheers!