Rohit Sharma became the fourth captain in history to win the Player of the Match in an ICC final. Clive Lloyd won it in the 1975 World Cup, followed by Ricky Ponting in 2003, MS Dhoni in 2007 and now Rohit joined the list.
India defeated New Zealand by four wickets to win the Champions Trophy in 2025. They started well with the ball, but Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell played some good cricket, scoring a half-century each to help the Kiwis post 251 runs in the first innings. For India, the spinners once again dominated as Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy picked up two wickets each.
When it came to the chase, Rohit Sharma managed a blistering start, smacking 76 runs off 83 balls. He stitched a 103-run partnership with Gill, out of which, the latter only scored 31 runs. Rohit looked unstoppable at one stage but Rachin Ravindra eventually picked up the prized wicket that pulled the break on India’s innings.
Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel took over after his dismissal and they struggled against the Kiwi spinners for a brief while but managed to keep the scoreboard ticking. Iyer eventually made 48 runs while Axar departed scoring 29. Towards the fag end, KL Rahul took over the business, playing a scintillating knock of unbeaten 34 runs to help India cross the line and win the championship.
Rohit was eventually adjudged Player of the Match for his terrific performance. With that, he became only the fourth captain to win Player of the Match in the final. Clive Lloyd received the award in the 1975 World Cup, followed by Ricky Ponting in 2003, MS Dhoni in 2011 and now Rohit joined the elite list.
Ahead of the final, the 37-year-old was put under immense pressure as there were reports of him announcing his retirement from ODI cricket. His form was a major concern but on the night of the final, Rohit rose to the occasion and played a phenomenal knock to help India win their third Champions Trophy in history.