Dubai: Indian batter Shreyas Iyer was left ‘over the moon’ after helping India, with a fighting 48-run cameo, to lift their third Champions Trophy title by beating New Zealand by four wickets in the final here on Sunday. Iyer ended the tournament as the second-highest run-getter having scored 241 runs in five matches behind New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra. It is the right-handed top-order batter’s first-ever ICC title.
“I am over the moon, to be honest. It is pretty hard to sum it up in words. This has been my first ICC Trophy, and I am kind of overwhelmed by it. Kudos to each and every one in the dressing room. The way we have turned up in this tournament. It was simply magnificent.
“To be honest, I love to bat under pressure. I thrive under pressure, and I really, really like that challenge. I always want to get a big one, but if you can contribute enough for your Team and it leads up to a victory, that’s more than enough for me. I am truly happy.”
While Iyer made 48 off 62 balls, it was KL Rahul who kept his calm to stay till the end and be 34 not out off 33 balls to ensure India got its third Champions Trophy title after 2002 and 2013. It’s also India’s second ICC trophy win in 12 months after the T20 World Cup triumph in June last year.
The Dubai triumph now makes India the most successful team in the Champions Trophy’s history and they accomplished it in front of a stadium majorly filled by Indian fans. The win would also come as a soothing balm for the Indian team and its ardent fans after missing out on the 2023 ODI World Cup triumph on home soil.
Rahul admitted to being under a lot of pressure during the closing moments of the but backed himself to keep his calm and composure.
“I don’t think I can say this on camera but I was shitting myself. We had a couple of batters to come, but I was tense. It’s all about keeping yourself calm and composed in situations like this. I think I’ve batted in times like this in 3 out of the 5 games (in this CT), and in one of the games, I didn’t get to bat at all against Pakistan.
“Hard to put it into words, pure skill and the way we’ve all played our cricket growing up, had to face a lot of challenges, we’ve had to face pressure from the time we’ve held a bat and decided to become professional cricketers. The way the BCCI has groomed us and the domestic circuit has trained us to handle pressure and do well in circumstances like these,” said KL Rahul.
(IANS)
