Dubai [UAE], March 10 (ANI): India’s rising sensation and established stalwarts went into a frenzy after scripting history with a victory in the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday.
The heartbreak of the 2017 final against arch-rival Pakistan became a distant memory when the winning runs came off Ravindra Jadeja’s bat. The seasoned southpaw didn’t even turn around to look at the ball heading towards the fence.
Sitting in the dressing room, Virat Kohli roared in jubilation and shared a warm embrace with assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. Head coach Gautam Gambhir’s serious expression faded, and a beaming smile overtook him. Jadeja stretched his hands and blew flying kisses towards the dressing room.
The young speedsters Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana were the first to sprint towards Jadeja and recreate Virat’s famous ‘Gangnam Style’ celebration after India’s 2013 heroics at Birmingham.
Virat and Rohit played ‘dandiya’ with stumps, and Gambhir flaunted a couple of ‘bhangra’ moves with former Navjot Singh Sidhu. Hardik Pandya later met Sidhu and set the ground on fire with their bhangra performance.
Arshdeep won hearts by gifting a singed helmet to a young fan in the stands. Haridk went back to the crease and recreated a celebration that resembled the one he pulled off after the T20 World Cup 2024 final.
When the much-awaited moment to lift the trophy arrived, Shreyas Iyer flaunted his impressive dance moves just like Virat had done after India’s 2013 Champions Trophy success.
The scenes that unfolded after India’s four-wicket triumph against New Zealand weren’t cakewalks. The Rohit-led side had endured a fair share of ups and downs before entering the tournament.
The 3-0 home Test series whitewash at the hands of New Zealand and Australia reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy weighed heavily in the hearts of India players and fans.
India still moved forward and stormed into the final unbeaten. However, all the hard work could be undone in the final, just as it unravelled in the 2023 ODI World Cup final.
But this time around, India scripted yet another flawless performance to add another coveted title to its shining trophy cabinet. The Men in Blue found the blueprint for executing a route to flawlessly chase down the 252-run target and etch its name in history. (ANI)
