ICC Champions Trophy Final: Heroes of the day

Ravi Bopara

Ravi Bopara

If you ask me, much of the game actually belonged to the Indian-origin all-rounder as he delivered a near-perfect performance for his side. He knocked over India’s two best finishers – MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina early, and also sent back the well-set Shikhar Dhawan. It didn’t end there as the 28-year old took a great catch to remove top scorer Virat Kohli, before sharing a crucial 64-run partnership with T20 specialist Eoin Morgan. The highlights of his innings included two huge sixes off Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, respectively. Sadly, his heroics were not enough to see his side home, as he fell just when England’s hopes of victory was imminent.

Virat Kohli (43 runs off 34 balls – 4 fours, 1 six)

The number three batsman kept a cool head as he went about resurrecting the Indian innings – first with Shikhar Dhawan and then in the company of the plucky Ravindra Jadeja, with whom he raised 47 runs for the sixth wicket. He couldn’t make full use of the 2-over Powerplay as he was tied down by accurate bowling from England, before becoming one of Bopara’s three victims. He was brilliant in the field too, and did save quite a few runs for his side.

Ravindra Jadeja (33 n.o. off 25 balls – 2 fours, 2 sixes; 2/24 in 4 overs)

Saurashtra all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja finished the innings nicely for India with a couple of well-timed hits into the stands – one six each off James Anderson and Yorkshire seamer Tim Bresnan, respectively. He also added 47 valuable runs with his former u-19 skipper Virat Kohli in order to lend the Indian total some respectability. With the ball, he took out a rampaging Ian Bell courtesy a clever stumping from MSD, before bowling a clueless Jos Buttler through the gate. He won both the Man-of-the-Match award as well as the Golden Ball for being the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.

Eoin Morgan (1 catch; 33 runs off 30 balls – 3 fours, 1 six)

The T20 specialist also had a reasonably good outing in the final, though his usual pyrotechnics proved fruitless in the final tally. He took a good catch to dismiss the in-form Dinesh Karthik before bludgeoning his way to a cameo 33 – a knock that featured a delightful flat six off Ishant Sharma. However, the bowler struck back with vengeance as Morgan’s loose shot led to his downfall. His wicket was the turning point of the game as England collapsed rapidly and fell short by a mere five runs in the end.

Ravichandran Ashwin (1 run; 2/15 in 4 overs; 3 catches)

The Chennai off-spinner also had a memorable day in the field today. Run out for just 1, he came back hard at the English line-up, pouching three catches to send back three key batsmen. His variations also helped choke the flow of runs, and also induced the in-form Joe Root to play a false stroke that led to his dismissal. A wide delivery that turned a bit too far outside leg-stump resulted in the dangerous Jonathan Trott being stumped.

All I can say in summary is: This was one heck of a crazy game!